Newark, NJ — A tense standoff outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark escalated Friday night, prompting New Jersey State Police to clear an area around the facility after officials reported dangerous confrontations involving a small group of protesters and law enforcement.
According to a statement from New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, State Police moved to secure a route for vehicles transporting employees out of Delaney Hall. The attorney general said most people gathered outside the facility complied with requests to clear a pathway, but a limited number of individuals allegedly refused repeated orders and engaged in actions that endangered public safety.
Clashes erupted and state police were treated the same way the protesters treated the ICE agents inside the facility.
State Police Cite Safety Concerns
In the statement, Davenport said some individuals deployed fireworks and threw gas canisters toward law enforcement personnel while officers attempted to maintain safe passage for vehicles leaving the facility…