The report documents the history of immigration jails in New Jersey, demonstrates the harms suffered by those held there, and raises questions about the true purpose of detention centers.
Launched on November 10, 2025, the report grew out of a multi-year collaboration between CUNY Law’s Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic and the Abolish ICE NY–NJ Coalition. It pulls together interviews, legal analysis, timelines, and firsthand accounts from people who organized inside detention centers and from those who mobilized outside them. Together, these perspectives help explain how the campaign took shape and why it succeeded in reducing immigration detention space in New Jersey.
The report is intended for people who work inside immigrant communities, for organizers who are resisting detention expansion, for lawyers, journalists, researchers, and anyone who needs a concrete sense of how coordinated action can shift local and state institutions.
Collaborators & Contributors
The contributors include INRC faculty and students who supported the coalition throughout the campaign. They documented the conditions inside the facilities, helped analyze local political structures, and interviewed people directly involved in the site fights. Organizers and members of the coalition shaped the direction of the project and offered the insight that only comes from sustained involvement in community defense work.
Abolish ICE NY-NJ Coalition Members
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law’s Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic
Tania Mattos, Unlocal and co-founder, Abolish ICE NY-NJ
Mariama Diallo, Borderless Existence Initiative and leader, Abolish ICE NY-NJ
Faculty Authors & Researchers
Nermeen Arastu
Qudsiya Naqui
Jacqueline Pearce
Talia Peleg
Student Authors & Researchers
Marlene Berroa Rodriguez
Valentin Castillo
Christopher Kelley
Amara Khan
Mathias Melo
Patricia Padrinao
Daniela Pena Gonzalez
Megan Peters
Ashley Pinilla
Ridika Pradhan
Sarah Rosenthal
Editorial Support
Jubi Williams
Contributors
Abolish ICE NY-NJ Coalition Members
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law’s Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic
Tania Mattos, Unlocal and co-founder, Abolish ICE NY-NJ
Mariama Diallo, Borderless Existence Initiative and leader, Abolish ICE NY-NJ
Design
David Perrin
Note on Scope and Currency of Information
This report is based on research completed in May 2025 and reflects the state of immigration law, policy, and detention practices as of that date. Readers should be aware that immigration enforcement and detention are subject to frequent legal and policy changes. As such, this report may not reflect the most current developments. We encourage readers to consult up-to-date sources to verify the current legal and political landscape surrounding immigration detention in the United States.