Trump's Terms Trump wants more detention centers. These towns don't
Mar 18, 2026
Kate Dario, NH public radio reporter who covered Merrimack’s bipartisan pushback. Jasmine Garst, NPR immigration reporter tracking proposed migrant detention sites. They discuss plans to convert large facilities, community fears about sanitation and strain on services, local organizing that halted a site, and strategies activists use to block or delay federal detention projects.
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Warehouse Conversions Threaten Small Town Character
- The federal plan converts large empty warehouses into massive immigrant detention centers across conservative towns.
- Jasmine Garst reports Roxbury's 500,000 sqft warehouse proposal sits on a cliff over Lake Musconetcong and alarms neighbors with industrial trucks and lights.
Neighbor Calls The Project Industrial Hell
- A 22-year-old Roxbury resident says the conversion has made his mornings feel like "industrial hell."
- He lives across the street, hears semi trucks, sees glowing lights, and is considering moving away, fearing for the town's future.
Health And Safety Concerns Drive Local Opposition
- Residents worry about detention conditions and public health risks like sewage and water strain.
- Jasmine Garst notes 24 deaths in ICE detention since October and local concerns over sanitation and resources in Roxbury.