Trenton, New Jersey — The New Jersey Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that would impose new taxes and fees on private detention facilities, a move aimed mainly at two ICE-contracted sites in Newark and Elizabeth.
The bill passed 57-22 along party lines and now awaits action in the state Senate. It would charge operators an annual fee equal to 8% of the value of their government detention contracts, plus $15 per detained person per day. The money would fund legal services for families of detained people and community programs tied to food, housing, and job training.
The measure would affect Delaney Hall in Newark, operated by GEO Group, and the Elizabeth Detention Center, operated by CoreCivic. Nonpartisan legislative analysts estimate the bill could raise up to $16.2 million per year, with GEO Group facing most of the cost.
Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis, a Democrat, said the bill is about accountability for companies profiting from detention. Republicans called it state overreach and argued it could face legal challenges because the facilities operate under federal immigration contracts.
The bill follows renewed debate over Delaney Hall, which reopened under the Trump administration’s expanded immigration detention effort.
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