Governor Mikie Sherrill blamed outside agitators for escalating tensions during demonstrations at a Newark immigration detention facility, speaking at a Saturday news conference after deploying state police to control the situation.
According to Sherrill, five of the six individuals taken into custody Friday evening were not New Jersey residents. She stated that “national extremist groups” joined the demonstrations Saturday, heightening tensions in the state’s largest city.
“You should not be here,” she said of those who came to create chaos. “You are not helping the people detained at Delaney Hall. You’re not helping detainee families and you’re certainly not keeping New Jersey safe.”
State authorities established “protected protest zones” on Friday following multiple days of clashes between demonstrators and federal officers outside the Delaney facility. The 1,000-bed detention center houses individuals who initiated both labor and hunger strikes to highlight what they describe as inhumane conditions while demanding their freedom.
“That’s exactly where our focus needs to be right now, advocating for better conditions for those inside the facility,” Sherrill said. “We can’t let what’s happening outside Delaney Hall take us away from that mission.”
Sherrill expressed appreciation for “the vast majority of protesters who have assembled peacefully and raised their voices about Delaney Hall conditions.”
The Geo Group operates the Delaney facility under contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has rejected claims about facility conditions and praised the state police involvement as a “win for law and order.”
However, Sherrill, a Democrat, criticized federal officials for worsening the situation, citing ICE’s use of batons against protesters and other crowd control methods she deemed inappropriate. “They have been increasing tensions in a way that’s not helpful to public safety,” she said.
The governor, who has advocated for shutting down Delaney Hall, stated her objectives were maintaining peaceful demonstrations and public safety while preventing an influx of federal agents.
“What we have been working towards now is ensuring that ICE has no pretextual reason whatsoever to exacerbate this situation,” Sherrill said at a news conference.
Confrontations between immigration enforcement and demonstrators have occasionally become violent in other locations, particularly in Minnesota, where federal personnel killed two people and wounded others.
New Jersey authorities have attempted to establish designated areas for peaceful demonstrations, state officials reported. However, protesters ordered to leave Friday night encircled a police vehicle and threatened officers, according to state police Lieutenant Colonel David Sierotowicz on Saturday.
Sierotowicz observed some activists gathering face coverings, gas masks, fireworks, stones and other projectiles from a nearby tent location.
Friday’s footage showed officers moving forward with riot shields while deploying tear gas. Sierotowicz explained that police employed standard crowd dispersal methods, resulting in no serious injuries to civilians or law enforcement.
“We were not striking anybody last night,” he said.
State officials emphasized that demonstrations are acceptable provided they remain nonviolent. By mid-afternoon Saturday, dozens of protesters were chanting behind police-established barriers.
“Today and going forward, I urge those protesting outside of Delaney Hall to bring the temperature down, so we can focus on the detainees and their families,” Sherrill said.
