New Jersey state police established designated protest zones and vehicle checkpoints outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark on Friday, taking over from federal immigration enforcement agents after days of escalating confrontations with demonstrators protesting conditions inside the facility where detainees launched a hunger strike one week ago.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she deployed state police to restore order as demonstrations intensified, with violence and arrests mounting as night falls. "It has grown unsafe, and that's completely unacceptable," the Democratic governor said at a news conference announcing the new measures. "We need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature."
Protests Sparked by Detention Conditions
The protests began one week ago after immigrant advocates reported that detainees inside the 1,000-bed facility launched a hunger strike over poor living conditions at Delaney Hall, which opened one year ago. Democratic members of Congress from New York City who toured the facility reported dire conditions, with detainees being fed small portions of often spoiled food and their varied medical needs going ignored. Families and supporters of detainees say their loved ones have also been subjected to pepper spray and physical force in retaliation for their hunger strike and the protests outside.
Demonstrators had been attempting to block people and vehicles from entering and exiting, linking their arms in a human chain and using trash cans, umbrellas and other items as makeshift shields and barricades. ICE officers wearing helmets and tactical vests have used pepper spray and batons to try to disperse the protesters and clear the roadway for vehicles.
Mixed Reactions to Protest Zones
As police erected protest barriers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who had formed a line in front of protesters moved inside the building's perimeter fence. New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz said ICE officers agreed to stand down with state police assuming responsibility.
Demonstrators had mixed reactions to the new arrangements. Some staged a sit-in and refused to move into one of the new protest areas police set up using metal barriers and concrete blocks. Rachel Cohen said she worried that demonstrators exercising their First Amendment rights were being silenced. "It is not helpful to quell protest for the sake of a false peace," she said. "There is no peace while we are torturing our neighbors on government dime inside this facility."
Other protesters supported the designated zones. Lisa O'Dwyer, a Westfield resident, said she was fine with the arrangement. "I like to get my point across and stay safe at the same time," she said. Eyesha Marable, pastor at Mt. Zion AME Church in Millburn, agreed even while acknowledging that there were "different schools of thought" among protesters. "There are people here who are angry. Their family members are inside. Their friends are inside. People have been taken off the streets, out of their communities," she said. "We have to keep the peace. The goal is to get our people free, to get them liberated, and we cannot do that if we're fighting out here."
Federal Response and Arrests
At least six demonstrators were arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers three days ago, and more have been arrested on other nights, according to DHS. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche shared images online Friday of bloody wounds and bruises sustained by ICE officers. "These riots are clearly not 'peaceful protests' as you can see from the photos of these horrific wounds," he said. "Assault a federal officer, you'll be held accountable."
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, on social media, called the measures a "win for law and order" and noted that Sherrill had resisted sending state police for days.
State Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said it was important to "de-escalate" the situation as "violence, either against protesters or by protesters, is unacceptable." Sherrill said she did not want to give ICE a "pretext" to expand operations in the state. "We all need to do everything we can to cool things down now," she said.
The governor and other Democratic officials tried to visit detainees four days ago but were denied entry. Democratic members of Congress from New York City, however, were able to tour Delaney Hall the day after that.
Why This Matters:
The confrontation outside Delaney Hall reflects deepening tensions over immigration detention conditions and the treatment of vulnerable people held in federal custody. The hunger strike by detainees and subsequent protests highlight concerns about accountability in a system where individuals report being fed spoiled food, denied medical care, and subjected to physical force. The denial of access to state officials, including the governor, raises questions about transparency and oversight of federally-run facilities operating within state borders. How communities balance the right to protest with public safety, and whether detainees' reported treatment meets basic standards of human dignity, will likely shape ongoing debates about immigration enforcement and the protection of civil liberties for all people, regardless of immigration status.