Advocates outside protested conditions. Detainees inside have staged a hunger strike. And federal officials called in New Jersey police at the gates.Show Caption
Tensions have escalated at a controversial immigration detention center in late May as advocates outside protest conditions, some detainees inside forego food in protest, and federal officials call in New Jersey police at the gates.Delaney Hall, a privately run U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, has had clashes just outside its gates between federal immigration officials and demonstrators. While protests have occurred since it reopened months into the second Trump administration, demonstrations have escalated after detainees launched a hunger strike over Memorial Day weekend. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, has denied a hunger strike is taking place at Delaney Hall, which is run by the GEO Group.Federal prosecutors have accused one protester of kicking and biting federal agents, and other arrests have been reported. Meanwhile, a statement from the ACLU of New Jersey said most protests have been peaceful and it's law enforcement who are escalating tensions.For some, Delaney Hall has come to symbolize President Donald Trump’s expansion of immigration enforcement and the rapid expansion of immigrant detention centers.What’s the latest with protests?Recently, Gov. Mikie Sherrill deployed New Jersey State Police to the area outside Delaney Hall. She said she had to protect public safety and to avoid escalation from ICE, who she said had surged the area.Federal immigration officers have charged at crowds, wielded batons and fired pepper spray into crowds, NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. DHS has blamed protesters for escalating the standoffs, saying they threw objects at officers.Late on May 29, state police in riot gear and on horses used force to disperse anti-ICE protesters outside the facility who previously clashed with federal officers, NorthJersey.com, reported. State police also erected fencing for a “protest zone,” which some see as a violation of free speech.“Today and going forward, I urge everyone who is protesting to do so peacefully in the safe areas, and work together to bring the temperature down,” Sherrill said in a May 30 statement. “We need to focus on advocating for better conditions for the detainees, for their families, and ultimately, for the closure of Delaney Hall.”DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin thanked Sherrill for sending state police.“We support every Americans constitutional right to peacefully protest,” he said in a May 30 social media post. “No one has the right to RIOT and ASSAULT law enforcement. We hope to build on this partnership and work together to remove the worst of the worst from New Jersey communities.”Mullin, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, has threatened to cut processing of international flights at Newark Liberty International Airport. He said he was drawing up plans to move federal officers to protect detention center personnel, though cuts to airport services would have consequences for travel and business.On May 30, pro-ICE demonstrators had scheduled a protest to support the detention center and its officers.Democrats call for closureThe two-story facility, built in 2000 and sitting on nearly 227,000 square feet, served as an immigrant detention center between 2011 and 2017 before becoming a drug treatment center and halfway house. It had been vacant since 2023 until it reopened in May 2025 under a 15-year, $1 billion agreement with GEO Group, the second-largest private prison operator in the United States. It was one of the first detention centers to open in Trump’s second term. With over 1,000 beds, Delaney Hall is the largest detention center in the Northeast.New Jersey Democrats have long called for Delaney Hall’s closure.Days after opening, federal immigration officials temporarily arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during a May 9, 2025, standoff before releasing him. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, was later charged with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers. She has denied the charges and appealed for her case to be dismissed.On May 25, 2026, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-New Jersey, said he was hit with pepper spray during a protest outside the facility. What about the hunger strike?The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said hundreds of detainees launched the hunger strike on May 22 at Delaney Hall.Detainees demand release of vulnerable people, including those who are elderly, pregnant, young people and others with serious medical conditions, according to NorthJersey.com. Advocates and elected officials say some have been detained for months without a scheduled hearing, and others are pressured to sign documents for their deportation or voluntary departure. The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice said detainees on the reported hunger strike are demanding freedom, not improved conditions.Advocates and detainees have complained of conditions since it opened. In June 2025, just a month into opening, detainees pushed down a wall over what they said were poor conditions, such as insufficient and substandard food. Four people escaped but were caught.In December, Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national, had a medical emergency after just one day at Delaney Hall and died at a local hospital. ICE has said he died of “suspected natural causes.” His family has called for an investigation.Detainees are demanding an in-person meeting with Sherrill. On May 28, Sherrill said New Jersey health officials tried to inspect Delaney Hall but could only see part of the detention center.Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY; Michael Karas, NorthJersey.com
