Clashes broke out Monday outside a Newark immigration detention facility after demonstrators gathered in support of detainees who attorneys say launched a hunger and work strike Friday over conditions they allege are inhumane at the privately run facility.
Sen. Andy Kim, New Jersey Democrat, said he was caught in a cloud of pepper spray deployed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside Delaney Hall — a 1,000-bed detention center in Newark — while attempting to broker a de-escalation between agents and protesters. Mr. Kim said he had difficulty breathing following the incident and described conditions inside as “inhumane” after being allowed entry to the facility.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill joined other officials, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, outside the facility Monday amid growing concern over the strike, which started Friday inside the cinder-block building. Ms. Sherrill was denied entry.
The Department of Homeland Security said its officers used “the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property” after demonstrators blocked the facility’s entrances and exits. DHS also stated that approximately 125 demonstrators surrounded the detention center, forming human chains and barricades that blocked entrances and exits.
DHS said “no individuals were directly struck by pepper ball projectiles,” though video obtained by CNN from Freedom News TV showed agents in riot gear deploying gas canisters and batons as they moved to clear the blocked entrance.
Mr. Kim, who said he had to call DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin directly to gain access to the facility, said detainees he spoke with alleged they lacked adequate medical care. The senator said detainees described to him, among other things, a pregnant woman said to be without OB-GYN care and a woman who said she suffered a miscarriage inside the facility without receiving medical support. Those allegations have not been independently verified.
Sen. Cory Booker, New Jersey Democrat, said detainees were “fighting for their human rights” and called conditions at Delaney Hall “deplorable,” adding that he planned to return to conduct congressional oversight.
DHS pushed back sharply, calling the Memorial Day demonstrations a “political stunt” and defending facility conditions, saying detainees receive three meals daily, clean water, clothing, bedding, and access to phones to contact family and attorneys.
DHS rebutted what it described as “falsehoods” and “smears” from Mr. Kim and other New Jersey Democratic lawmakers and denied a hunger strike was taking place. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on social media there was “NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall.”
The strike followed a series of complaints from detainees alleging medical neglect, insufficient food, and conditions they described as torture. Detainees’ attorneys said those participating were calling for the release of elderly, young and medically vulnerable individuals.
Delaney Hall opened May 1, 2025, as a 1,000-bed private immigration detention facility operated by the GEO Group. The facility has drawn scrutiny since its opening, including an uprising last June in which four detainees escaped after pushing down a dormitory wall.
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