NEWARK, N.J. — Newark’s mayor has established an overnight curfew surrounding an immigration detention facility following violent confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
Mayor Ras Baraka announced the curfew around Delaney Hall will remain active from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. indefinitely, according to his statement.
The decision follows another evening of violent encounters between officers and protesters at the detention center, with images and footage showing demonstrators battling over barriers while police deployed riot shields to force them back. Social media footage captured mounted officers advancing into crowds in an effort to disperse groups of protesters.
Protests at Delaney Hall started earlier this month when advocacy groups reported that inmates had begun a hunger strike due to inadequate living conditions at the 1,000-bed detention center, which has become another focal point of resistance against federal immigration enforcement policies.
On Friday, New Jersey state police took over from federal immigration enforcement officers who had been confronting protesters at the location for several days.
In Sunday morning remarks, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stated that masked protesters attacked barriers in a designated demonstration zone established by state police and were “throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street.”
“These actions put both peaceful protestors and law enforcement in danger,” Sherrill stated, calling for restraint to concentrate on pushing for “better conditions for the detainees, for their families, and ultimately, for the closure of Delaney Hall.”
