New Jersey state police established designated protest zones and vehicle checkpoints outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark on Friday, taking over security responsibilities from federal immigration enforcement agents after days of escalating clashes with protesters. Gov. Mikie Sherrill deployed state police to restore order outside the facility 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."
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.
Federal Officers Injured in Confrontations
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the measures a "win for law and order" on social media and noted that Sherrill had resisted sending state police for days. 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."
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. 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.
Protests Began One Week Ago
The protests began one week ago after immigrant advocates said detainees inside launched a hunger strike over poor living conditions at the 1,000-bed facility, which opened one year ago. Demonstrators have 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.
Demonstrators had mixed reactions to the new protest zones. 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."
Divided Response Among Protesters
Another demonstrator, Lisa O'Dwyer, said she was fine with the designated protest areas. "I like to get my point across and stay safe at the same time," the Westfield resident 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," Marable said. "The goal is to get our people free, to get them liberated, and we cannot do that if we're fighting out here."
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. They 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 also say their loved ones have also been subjected to pepper spray and physical force in retaliation for their hunger strike and the protests outside.
Why This Matters:
The deployment of state police to manage protests outside a federal immigration detention facility highlights the tension between local and federal law enforcement priorities in immigration enforcement. The documented injuries to federal officers and multiple arrests for assaulting law enforcement underscore the breakdown of public order that necessitated state intervention. The governor's stated concern about not giving ICE a "pretext" to expand operations reveals how local officials are attempting to balance maintaining rule of law with political opposition to federal immigration policy. The situation also raises questions about the appropriate boundaries of protest activity when it interferes with the operation of federal facilities and puts law enforcement officers at physical risk, while federal authorities work to enforce immigration laws passed by Congress.