New Jersey State Police clash with Delaney Hall protesters
The governor has called for a de-escalation as demonstrations continue.
The demonstrations outside Delaney Hall continued Saturday hours after New Jersey State Police officers clashed with protesters as police set up a perimeter outside of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement detainment center at the order of Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
The protesters who have been challenging the allegedly poor conditions at the Newark detainment center were met with a handful of pro-ICE demonstrators.
A pro-ICE crowd, which was dwarfed by the Delaney Hall protesters, arrived with signs, American flags and other paraphernalia supporting the federal agency and its immigration enforcement crackdown.
The larger group has been protesting outside the facility since May 22, calling out the alleged poor conditions inside Delaney Hall.
Activists and Democratic leaders have alleged that the 300 inmates inside the ICE facility are not being properly fed, not receiving medical care and are living in poorly maintained quarters.
The Department of Homeland Security has denied the allegations along with reports that detainees are staging a hunger strike in protest.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has repeatedly condemned the protests.
"Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Law and order will prevail," he said in an X post Friday.
Protesters have been clashing with masked ICE agents outside of the facility since last week. Some of the federal agents used tear gas and batons in their confrontations with protesters.
Sherrill ordered the state police to set up the perimeter Friday night due to the increased ICE surge outside the facility, saying it "is a threat to public safety."
"This was absolutely necessary to protect public safety, and avoid escalation from ICE. As Americans, we have a right to protest -- and we will continue to ensure New Jersey residents can peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights," the governor said in a statement.
As police erected protest barriers, ICE agents moved inside the building's perimeter fence.
New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz told WABC-TV that ICE officers agreed to stand down with state police assuming responsibility.
However, tensions escalated between the protesters and state officers, some of whom were wearing riot gear and shields. Tear gas was deployed and protesters were pushed back.
Some of the state police were seen riding horses as they tried to push back the crowd.
Rachel Cohen, one of the protesters who was at the site Friday, told WABC that she was worried that demonstrators were being silenced.
"It is not helpful to quell protest for the sake of a false peace," she said. "There is no peace while we are torturing our neighbors on government dime inside this facility."
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement Saturday that most demonstrators complied with an order to let vehicles through, though she alleged a "limited number did not comply with repeated requests to clear a safe passage for the vehicles."
Davenport further alleged that some protesters "took dangerous actions, including deploying fireworks and throwing gas canisters at law enforcement, that put everyone in harm's way."
There were no immediate reports on arrests or injuries from Friday night's incident.
The incident was the latest heated clash between Delaney Hall protesters and law enforcement.
Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey was tear-gassed on Monday as he tried to de-escalate the situation. DHS Secretary Mullin told reporters Wednesday that Kim "probably shouldn't have been there."
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche alleged Friday that someone protesting at Delaney Hall bit a federal officer.
At least eight people have been arrested by ICE since the protests started.
Robert Frazer, the U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey, said Saturday that Brendan John Geier, 26, of Madison, New Jersey, was charged with kicking a federal officer and biting two others during a confrontation at Delaney Hall Thursday.
Geier was released and prohibited from returning to Delaney Hall, according to Frazer. Attorney information for Geier was not immediately available.
While Kim and other Democratic leaders have visited the facility and said they saw the poor conditions firsthand, Sherrill said she has been denied access inside.
She has joined other Democrats in calls to close down the facility.
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