NJ Rep. Tom Kean Jr. takes new hit: a planned ICE detention center

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jul 14, 2026

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NEW YORK — GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s reelection hopes have taken another blow as President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has revived plans for a giant immigration detention center in his suburban New Jersey district.

Just a few days after Kean returned to work after a months-long bout with depression, DHS officials said in a court filing that they were still considering renovating a warehouse in tony Roxbury Township to house undocumented immigrants for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, a few weeks after they had suggested the plan was dead.

The warehouse conversion is unpopular among voters on both sides of the aisle in the Republican-leaning town nestled in horse country not far from Trump’s Bedminster golf resort.

Rebecca Bennett, Kean’s Democratic opponent in the fall midterms, slammed Kean for failing to block the plan.

“His job title is representative, but he consistently fails to show up and fight for the people of New Jersey,” Bennett said in a statement.

Kean, whose father was a popular governor, hasn’t taken a formal stance on the center but says the feds should listen to the concerns of the community.

“I will continue to bring together multiple levels of government to find a responsible, workable solution,” Kean said.

DHS last month had suggested it wasn’t pursuing the Roxbury warehouse plan as it expands a nationwide network of spaces to hold millions of immigrants snared in Trump’s controversial mass deportation effort. It has now apparently changed course.

The Republican leaders of the town sounded unimpressed with Kean’s efforts to reach a workable solution.

“This is obviously deeply disappointing news for the residents of Roxbury Township,” Mayor Shawn Potillo told Politico.

Even before the detention center snafu, Kean was facing a very tricky reelection fight against Bennett.

New Jersey’s 7th District is a swing seat that Democrats have targeted to flip in November as Trump’s approval ratings plumb new depths, especially in affluent suburbs.

Kean didn’t help his prospects by giving no explanation about his disappearance from the public eye for months. He resurfaced last month to say he was hospitalized for depression, but didn’t explain why he didn’t say that sooner.

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