A standoff outside Delaney Hall

For over a week, the area outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, has been the site of escalating protests. What began as a vigil by families and activists supporting a hunger and labor strike inside the facility has drawn counterprotesters supporting Trump administration immigration policies, leading to chaotic confrontations. On Saturday morning, a group of rightwing counterprotesters in Trump hats demonstrated outside the facility, waving signs and chanting slogans in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), yelling at the pro-immigrant protesters across barricades set up by state police.

Governor points finger at outsiders

At a Saturday news conference, Governor Mikie Sherrill stated that five of the six people arrested during Friday night's clashes were not from New Jersey. She warned that "national extremist groups" had joined the protests on Saturday, adding to the volatility.

“You should not be here. You are not helping the people detained at Delaney Hall. You're not helping detainee families and you're certainly not keeping New Jersey safe.”

Sherrill, a Democrat who has called for the facility's closure, emphasized that the focus must remain on advocating for better conditions for those inside.

A heavy police response

Friday night saw a significant escalation when state police, newly in charge of security outside the facility, attempted to disperse a crowd. According to Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz, officers instructed demonstrators to relocate to a designated protest area three times but were ignored. The situation deteriorated when a crowd surrounded a law enforcement vehicle and made threats, prompting the deployment of a public safety response team. Officers reported seeing people retrieving face coverings, fireworks, rocks, and other projectiles, leading to six arrests. Protesters claimed state troopers charged at them on foot and horseback, and police fired teargas canisters and pepper ball pellets to drive the crowd back.

The strike inside

Inside Delaney Hall, a facility operated by the private company Geo Group under a 15-year, billion-dollar contract, detainees have been on a hunger and labor strike since May 22. In letters, they described worm-riddled food, dilapidated bathrooms in "inhumane condition," persistent disease, long response times to accidents, and insufficient medical care.

“We'd like to apologize for the way we entered the United States. Our American dream is safety and protection -- with our families. Although this is a difficult situation, we trust in God and believe in American justice.”

On Thursday, guards pepper-sprayed a group of immigrants who tried to prevent the removal of a detainee who was helping translate for the strikers. A Geo Group spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating guards were responding to "a physical altercation involving detainees."

Federal and local tensions

Governor Sherrill has accused federal agents of making the situation worse, citing ICE's use of batons on protesters and other actions she described as inappropriate for crowd control.

“They have been increasing tensions in a way that's not helpful to public safety.”

She stated her goal was to ensure peaceful protests and avoid giving ICE a pretext to expand operations. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the governor for cooperating to "restore law and order," while denying allegations about conditions inside the facility, remarking that the detention center was not a "Holiday Inn." Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposed a nightly curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in an 800-meter zone around Delaney Hall.

A broader immigration flashpoint

The Delaney Hall protests are unfolding against the backdrop of President Trump's mass deportation campaign. The facility, the largest ICE detention center on the East Coast with over 1,000 beds, has faced criticism over overcrowding. At least 17 immigrants have died in ICE custody since the start of the year, with a recent CNN investigation reporting nearly 50 detainee deaths since Trump took office, the highest number in at least two decades. Two Democratic congress members from New Jersey who toured the facility on Saturday reported finding filthy bathrooms, abusive guards, and inadequate medical care. A relative of a detainee stated, "They treat them like animals."