NEWARK, N.J. — A confrontation between demonstrators and federal immigration enforcement officers outside a Newark detention facility resulted in six arrests Wednesday evening, as protesters alleged detainees inside are conducting a hunger strike due to substandard conditions.
Video footage and images shared on social platforms showed demonstrators, many donning gas masks and face coverings, forming human chains outside Delaney Hall on Wednesday night.
Activists constructed barriers using trash bins, discarded mattresses, umbrellas and various other items while facing off against U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement personnel. Several demonstrators attempted to prevent people and cars from accessing the facility’s entrance and exit points, hurling orange traffic cones and additional items toward ICE agents positioned at the entrance.
Protesters shouted “You will hang!” and “Every cop, every fed, shoot yourself in the head,” along with other hostile remarks directed at the officers, who were equipped with helmets and tactical gear.
Federal agents deployed pepper spray in an effort to scatter the crowd, based on social media videos. Several officers used batons to strike and push back demonstrators while working to open the roadway for vehicle passage.
One truck operator exited his vehicle to express anger when protesters attempted to obstruct traffic on the street fronting the detention facility. People held inside the building could occasionally be observed gesturing to protesters through Delaney Hall’s windows.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, reported that approximately six demonstrators faced arrest for attacking law enforcement personnel.
“Assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and felony,” the agency said in a statement. “Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Earlier Wednesday, Democratic members of Congress from New York City conducted a tour of the facility as part of oversight responsibilities. A private prison company operates the detention center, located along an industrial section of Newark Bay.
Reps. Jerry Nadler, Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, who all represent Manhattan, outlined harsh conditions where detainees receive limited portions of frequently rotten food and have their diverse medical requirements neglected.
DHS spokespersons have rejected claims of any hunger strike, mistreatment or substandard conditions within the facility and characterized criticism from adversaries as political theater.
