NEWARK, N.J. – Tensions flared as demonstrators and armed federal immigration officials faced off outside a New Jersey detention facility. The protesters gathered to highlight what they claim is a hunger strike by detainees protesting substandard conditions.
Footage shared online captured scenes of protesters, many donning gas masks and various face coverings, forming a human blockade at Delaney Hall in Newark on Wednesday night. They stood resolute, arm in arm, demanding attention to their cause.
Demonstrators employed whatever they could find—discarded mattresses, trash cans, umbrellas—to fashion makeshift defenses against the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement officers. They sought to disrupt access by blocking both people and vehicles, and even hurled traffic cones and other debris toward the officers stationed at the entrance.
Chants filled the air as the group vocalized their dissent, shouting provocative slogans aimed at the officers, who were outfitted with helmets and tactical gear. The officers responded with pepper spray in an effort to break up the assembly, pushing back against the crowd with batons to clear a path for traffic.
Tensions were further heightened when a truck driver emerged from his vehicle, visibly frustrated by attempts to obstruct traffic outside the center. Meanwhile, detainees inside Delaney Hall occasionally appeared at the windows, waving to those gathered in solidarity below.
At least one truck driver got out of his vehicle to vent his frustration when some protesters tried to block vehicles driving on the road in front of the detention center. Detainees inside could at times be seen waving to protestors from Delaney Hall’s windows.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said about six demonstrators were arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers.
“Assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and felony,” the agency said in a statement. “Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Earlier in the day, Democratic members of Congress from New York City toured the facility as part of an oversight visit. A private prison company runs the detention center, which sits along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay.
Reps. Jerry Nadler, Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, who all represent Manhattan, described dire conditions where detainees are fed small portions of often spoiled food and their varied medical needs are ignored.
DHS spokespersons have denied any hunger strike, abuse or poor conditions inside the center and dismissed criticism from opponents as political posturing.
