{"id":211725,"date":"2026-05-26T06:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/protesters-clash-with-ice-agents-outside-new-jersey-detention-center-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T06:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T06:16:07","slug":"protesters-clash-with-ice-agents-outside-new-jersey-detention-center-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/protesters-clash-with-ice-agents-outside-new-jersey-detention-center-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"Protesters clash with ICE agents outside New Jersey detention center – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Protesters say agents used pepper spray and batons in clash outside Delaney Hall where a hunger strike is under way
Protesters outside a New Jersey migrant detention center where a hunger strike is under way alleged that US immigration<\/a> agents deployed pepper spray and batons against them during a demonstration on Monday.
The protesters tried to stop ICE from transferring Martin Soto \u2013 who announced the strike \u2013 but officials said that they were able to move him to the Elizabeth contract detention facility.
Demonstrators claimed that the incident unfolded early this morning outside Delaney Hall in Newark, which has been roiled by an ongoing hunger strike, ABC 7 reported<\/a>. Protesters have stood outside Delaney Hall since Friday.
Tensions mounted late on Sunday, however, when dozens of protesters heard that guards were preparing to move detainee Soto \u2013 who on Friday announced a hunger and work strike. The strike is demanding the immediate release of elderly and young detainees, as well as those with medical conditions, according to The City<\/a>.
Soto\u2019s wife, Gabriela, has been organizing protests outside the facility. Gabriela , 28, tried visiting him on Sunday and as she was in the queue, spotted a man being pushed into a van.
Some visitors to Delaney Hall told Gabriela, who is reportedly several months pregnant with their third child, that this was Martin and she rushed toward the vehicle, The City reported.
\u201cI was banging on the door of the van,\u201d she told the news outlet. \u201cI was not letting that happen.\u201d
\u201cThey were pulling and dragging him into the van,\u201d she also told CBS News<\/a>. \u201cHe was banging on the window. He was screaming and banging on the window. That\u2019s why everyone here is blocking it because they\u2019re not going to let my husband be deported or sent away.\u201d
Demonstrators gathered with Gabriela, blocking the entrance to stop Martin from being transferred. \u201cFree Martin!\u201d Gabriela and the crowd reportedly shouted. \u201cFree them all!\u201d
At about 1am Monday, ICE agents blocked the roadway along Delaney Hall\u2019s back gate, Gothamist reported<\/a>, seemingly to let out ICE vehicles. Demonstrators confronted ICE agents and some tried blocking their vehicles.
ICE agents allegedly responded by clearing the area with force, pushing them onto sidewalks and shoving them into parked cars, Gothamist said. The website reported that at least one demonstrator was pepper-sprayed and one suffered a leg injury.
Laura Herman, who serves as legal director of the advocacy organization Make The Road New Jersey<\/a>, said that lawyers had communicated with the US attorney\u2019s office. The US attorney\u2019s office claimed he would not be transferred Sunday because of a federal judge\u2019s order prohibiting him from being moved out of state as his habeas petition proceeds through court, according to the City.
The hunger and work strike unfolded after some 300 detainees signed a letter alleging that Delaney Hall was rife with poor conditions and insufficient medical care. Gabriela Soto has alleged that agents had retaliated against Martin because of her advocacy.
Gabriela alleged that they held Martin in a cell for eight hours on Friday and grilled him on her efforts.
\u201c\u2018If we release you now, will you tell your wife to stop this protest? Did you know that your wife was organizing this protest? He said no comment,\u2019\u201d Gabriela Soto recalled to the City. She alleged that guards also asked her husband: \u201c\u2018Are you the one organizing the strike inside?\u2019\u201d
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the agents\u2019 actions and said that they managed to transfer Martin despite demonstrations.
\u201cOn May 24, 2026, approximately 125 agitators surrounded Delaney Hall Detention Facility. They formed a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits,\u201d a DHS spokesperson said.
\u201cAround 4.30pm, Martin Alonso Soto Hernandez, an illegal alien charged with assault, was scheduled for a transfer to another ICE detention facility, but agitators obstructed the vehicle\u2019s path, preventing the transfer, and struck the vehicle with unidentified objects, causing significant damage,\u201d the statement continued.
\u201cLater in the evening, ICE successfully dispersed approximately 70 agitators and removed the barricades obstructing operations and were able to transfer Soto Hernandez to the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility.\u201d
\u201cVisitation has been suspended out of an abundance of caution to ensure the continued safety of staff, detainees, and visitors,\u201d DHS also said.
GEO Group, which runs the facility, said they are \u201cproud of the role our company has played for 40 years to support the law enforcement mission of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)\u201d and insisted inmates were cared for properly.
\u201cThe support services GEO provides include around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs,\u201d a spokesperson said, saying that all of Geo\u2019s ICE centers were accredited by several industry organizations.
New Jersey senator Andy Kim and Governor Mikie Sherrill were outside the facility Monday morning to speak with detainees\u2019 relatives.
\u201cI\u2019m back at Delaney Hall with @GovSherrillNJ and other members of the NJ delegation to meet with families of detainees and listen to community advocates,\u201d Kim said<\/a> on X. \u201cWe\u2019re working together to make sure they\u2019re heard and to speak out with them.\u2028Delaney Hall must be shut down immediately. ICE cannot be allowed to continue operating in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Protesters say agents used pepper spray and batons in clash outside Delaney Hall where a hunger strike is under wayProtesters outside a New Jersey migrant detention center where a hunger strike is under way alleged that US immigration agents deployed pepper spray and batons against them during a demonstration on Monday.The protesters tried to stop […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":211726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-211725","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}