Flashpoints and fury: Inside protests at a New Jersey ICE facility

By Cheri Mossburg, Gloria Pazmino, David Williams, Holly Yan, CNN

(CNN) — An unassuming industrial area on the outskirts of Newark, New Jersey, is a hub of discourse this week as one day after another, protesters clash with federal agents outside an ICE detention facility while lawmakers call for inspections and oversight.

The demonstrations come amid the Trump administration’s controversial immigration crackdown, this time centered on the living conditions at Delaney Hall, a privately owned, 1,000-bed facility which will soon have a dedicated “protest zone” outside.

Here’s the current contention at Delaney Hall:

• Detainees have alleged inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall for months. But tensions escalated over Memorial Day weekend as hundreds of detainees went on a hunger strike to protest spoiled food and wretched conditions, some of their lawyers said.
• “The conditions are brutal,” said Selenia Destefani, managing attorney and CEO of Nova Law Group, which represents people in the facility. “People just sleep on the floor – overcrowded rooms, cold showers, no food, extremely cold in the cells with no blankets.”
• DHS gave a different picture of what’s happening inside Delaney Hall. “No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been better treated than illegal aliens. They are provided 3 meals a day, medical care, and receive full due process,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said Friday, rebutting reports of a hunger strike.
• Detainees with medical conditions such as cancer and diabetes can’t access medical care, said Alex Minogue, another attorney at Nova Law Group.
• DHS also “provide(s) comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,” including “medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the agency said.

Here’s what the facility, located on a busy arterial crowded with large commercial vehicles, has looked like this week.

Some elected officials, including New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, tried to see the conditions inside Delaney Hall for themselves over the holiday weekend – but were initially denied entry, they said. Several officials have since been allowed inside the facility.

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat, spoke with detainees inside Delaney Hall Monday. When he emerged from the facility, the lawmaker said he found himself in a standoff between agents and protesters. Though Kim said he “tried to bring the temperature down” and calm both sides, he instead was briefly debilitated by pepper spray.

The influx of protesters and politicians has ebbed and flowed outside the razor wire-clad building, with crowds swelling to the hundreds and shrinking to a handful.

Altercations inside and outside the facility

• Several lawmakers received calls about reported violence against detainees inside the facility Thursday, which allegedly included pepper spray and physical force.
• DHS said “Staff responded to a physical fight involving detainees at Delaney Hall. In accordance with established ICE policies and their training, staff used the minimum amount of force to safely deescalate the situation. Following the incident, all affected detainees were promptly evaluated by on-site medical personnel and were cleared with no serious injuries.”
• Outside, the clash between protesters and federal agents again became physical.
• “Governor Sherrill refused to allow state police to assist our officers,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a social media post.
• Gov. Sherrill’s office declined to comment on Mullin’s statement.

On Friday morning, workers from the GEO Group – which operates Delaney Hall – painted yellow lines onto the sidewalk and posted “private property” and “no trespassing” signs outside the facility’s main entry points, where demonstrators have gathered for days. A telecommunications truck also arrived, and a worker was seen installing surveillance cameras.

Friday afternoon, the governor announced New Jersey State Police would take over from ICE to establish a “peaceful, protected protest zone” outside Delaney Hall.

DHS told CNN the state’s announcement is “a win for law and order,” while doubling down on their earlier statement the governor had refused to allow state police to assist ICE agents at the protests.

Mullin in a statement Friday thanked the governor for “now allowing the New Jersey State Police to cooperate with us.”

As DHS continues to push back against the allegations of inhumane living conditions, New Jersey’s Health Department attempted to inspect the facility “to conduct a public health and food safety inspection in response to reports and complaints about conditions at the facility.”

“Our team was denied the ability to conduct a full inspection of the facility and was allowed to conduct only a food service inspection,” the department told CNN Friday.

Depending on how the protests continue, DHS said they are considering pulling Customs and Border Protection officers from duty at Newark Airport to assist agents outside Delaney Hall, a move that could lead to air travel delays.

A “Support ICE” rally is planned for Saturday outside the facility.

“These images – what happened – it honestly felt very familiar because we’ve seen it online. We’ve seen it on TV. To see it in person is surreal,” said Kim. “But what we see is, unfortunately, the normalization of this violence in America.”

CNN’s Taylor Romine, Sarah Boxer, Chris Boyette and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

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