Democrats and Republicans unite against NJ detention warehouse. Just don't say 'abolish ICE.'

"The Trump administration purchased a giant warehouse in rural Roxbury Township, New Jersey, for $129.3 million with plans to convert it into one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country. The plan is not only unpopular among a bipartisan swath of residents, but it's also roiling what was already shaping up to be a gripping and crowded Democratic primary in the state's 7th Congressional District."

"The announcement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is coming to town has also fueled calls from some quarters for a candidate willing to abolish the agency if they reach Congress. That platform helped propel left-wing progressive Analilia Mejia to an upset victory in a neighboring congressional primary in February, where she trounced a wide field of better-known moderate Democrats unwilling to get rid of ICE altogether."

"New Jersey's 7th District is an amoeba-shaped swing district west of New York City that sprawls from the dense, Democratic suburbs south of Newark and Elizabeth to the rural, largely Republican areas on the border with Pennsylvania. The district's diverse composition creates political complexity for candidates navigating positions on immigration policy."

The Trump administration purchased a large warehouse in Roxbury Township, New Jersey, for $129.3 million to establish one of the country's largest immigration detention centers. The proposal has generated bipartisan opposition from residents and significantly impacted the Democratic primary race in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, where the facility would be located. Multiple Democratic candidates are competing to challenge incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who was already considered vulnerable. The detention center announcement has energized progressive Democrats calling for ICE abolition, following similar momentum from Analilia Mejia's recent primary victory in a neighboring district. However, many Democratic candidates in the 7th District have adopted more moderate positions on immigration reform rather than full ICE abolition, reflecting the district's diverse composition spanning from Democratic suburbs to rural Republican areas.

Read at Gothamist