The New Jersey chapter of the ACLU and a national Catholic peace organization have joined the state’s legal fight to shut down immigrant detention centers in the state.
The two groups filed a brief this month supporting the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General’s appeal of an August 2023 federal court ruling that blocked the state’s efforts to shutter the Elizabeth Detention Center in Union County — the only remaining immigrant detention center in New Jersey.
Another 27 nonprofit organizations signed onto the brief as well.
“These organizations are united in their support of the state’s power to not renew detention contracts and to prohibit new ones — an important step toward ending the harms of immigration detention in New Jersey,” ACLU staff attorney Molly Linhorst said.
The attorney general’s appeal, also filed this month, argues New Jersey has the right to regulate business in the state, including business officials say harms the health of people in detention.
Faced with press reports of deplorable conditions for detained immigrants in several New Jersey jails, Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 signed a law barring the public and private operation of federal detention centers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In response, private prison operator CoreCivic filed a lawsuit, with the support of the Biden administration.
Last August, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Kirsch ruled that shutting down the Elizabeth Detention Center would cause chaos for ICE. In his ruling, Kirsch said the facility is part of a national immigration detention system.
Over the last several years, county jails in New Jersey have eliminated their own contracts to house immigrant detainees.
“Troubled by reports of deplorable conditions at private immigration detention facilities, including the facilities’ ‘inadequate medical and mental health care,’ the Legislature extended this general prohibition to private immigration detention,” state Attorney General Matthew…
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