Additional Coverage:
- New Jersey police deploy tear gas as massive ICE protests descend into further chaos (themirror.com)
Clashes Erupt Outside New Jersey ICE Facility as Police Use Tear Gas to Disperse Protesters
Newark, NJ – Tensions flared outside the ICE detention center at Delaney Hall on Friday evening, as New Jersey state police deployed tear gas and used physical force to disperse protesters demonstrating against alleged poor conditions within the facility.
The protest, which has been ongoing for about a week, drew activists and advocacy groups demanding improvements to the treatment of detainees. Complaints include reports of food contaminated with worms, inadequate sanitation, and restricted access to healthcare and legal aid. Both the Department of Homeland Security and the Geo Group, the private contractor managing the center, have denied these allegations.
As the demonstration escalated, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced that state police would step in to establish a secured protest zone. While many protesters complied, some staged a sit-in outside the facility, refusing to relocate.
Since the protests began, over a dozen arrests have been made, with reports emerging of ICE officers using batons and tear gas against demonstrators. The Department of Justice confirmed one arrest late Friday of a man accused of assaulting federal officers.
Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz of the New Jersey State Police stated that ICE officers agreed to step back as state police assumed control of the situation. Davenport later reported that authorities had “temporarily cleared” the area outside Delaney Hall.
Governor Mikie Sherrill emphasized that the state police intervention was intended to deescalate the volatile situation. “It has grown unsafe, and that’s completely unacceptable,” Sherrill said at a press conference, adding, “We need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature.” The governor also reaffirmed his commitment to preventing ICE from expanding its operations within New Jersey.
Footage from the protests showed state police in riot gear, some mounted on horseback, erecting barricades and moving protesters toward Doremus Avenue, adjacent to the detention center.
The state police’s involvement followed criticism from the Department of Homeland Security, which accused local law enforcement of failing to aid ICE in controlling the crowds at Delaney Hall. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the state police’s intervention as a “win for law and order,” claiming that Governor Sherrill had previously restricted their ability to assist ICE against what he described as “violent anti-ICE rioters.”
The situation remains fluid as authorities and activists continue to confront complex issues surrounding immigration enforcement and detainee treatment in New Jersey.