Rodriguez and Wimbush Sound Alarm Over County Land Deal That Could Bring ICE to Elizabeth

ELIZABETH, NJ – Ed Rodriguez and Walter Wimbush, Democratic candidates for the New Jersey General Assembly, are calling on Union County leaders to halt plans that could pave the way for an ICE detention facility in the heart of Elizabeth. The plan, disguised as a routine land subdivision, is a betrayal of the county’s immigrant communities and an affront to basic democratic transparency.
At the center of the controversy is Resolution No. 2025-290, sponsored by Commissioner Mirabella, which authorizes the subdivision of Block 338, Lot 1—home to the County Administration Building and its adjacent jail. With no clear explanation from the County, the move has sparked widespread and well-founded speculation that Union County intends to sell off the jail to a private entity, which could then lease it to ICE.

Rodriguez and Wimbush aren’t buying the silence from county officials. “Let’s be clear: the county is trampling Elizabeth’s land use laws to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump’s egregious immigration policies,” said Rodriguez. “They’re balancing a broken budget on the backs of immigrants—and while that may not surprise you, it should outrage everyone.”

Despite calls from Elizabeth officials and community leaders, the County has refused to appear before the City of Elizabeth to discuss their intentions for the site, taking cover behind the supremacy clause to dodge local accountability.

Rodriguez and Wimbush say that’s not just disrespectful—it’s dangerous.

“If the County has no intention of turning this site into a detention center, they should say so—on the record and in the RFP,” said Wimbush. “Silence, in this case, is complicity.”

Rodriguez and Wimbush are urging Union County residents to join them in protest tonight at 5:30 PM outside the Union County Courthouse (2 Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ), ahead of the 6:00 PM Commissioner meeting. They are also calling on the Board of County Commissioners to guarantee—publicly and legally—that the subdivided site will never be used for detention or incarceration.

“At a time when Trump is openly planning to revive and expand his most brutal deportation programs, Union County should be leading the resistance—not enabling it,” said Rodriguez. “This is about who we are as a community. And right now, we need to meet the moment.”

Paid for by EFO Rodriguez and Wimbush for Assembly, 23 Christine St. Elizabeth NJ