{"id":212199,"date":"2026-05-31T05:16:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T05:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dueling-protests-face-off-at-new-jersey-ice-detention-center-over-detainee-conditions-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T05:16:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T05:16:58","slug":"dueling-protests-face-off-at-new-jersey-ice-detention-center-over-detainee-conditions-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dueling-protests-face-off-at-new-jersey-ice-detention-center-over-detainee-conditions-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Dueling protests face off at New Jersey ICE detention center over detainee conditions – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tensions rose at a Newark, New Jersey, immigration detention center<\/a> on Saturday as a group of pro-ICE protesters faced off with demonstrators who have maintained a presence outside the facility for more than a week in support of detainees who they say are enduring inhumane conditions inside<\/a>.
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Continued late-night clashes with authorities outside U.S. ICE\u2019s Delaney Hall Detention Facility prompted Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to institute a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew until further notice.
The curfew applies to the area within one-half mile from Delaney Hall, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement. Baraka said those who violate the closure and curfew will be removed and prosecuted.
\u201cDue to the escalating situation at Delaney Hall and the increasing need for police intervention, immediate action is required to protect public safety,\u201d the mayor said in a statement. \u201cMultiple individuals have already been arrested and found in possession of weapons, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.\u201d
Doremus Avenue, which abuts the facility, was to be closed to pedestrians, with vehicle traffic limited to those with business along the street, Baraka said.
Davenport said protesters \u201cattacked\u201d a barrier between law enforcement and demonstrators Saturday night, charged at officers, threw projectiles and set a fire.
\u201cWe denounce any violent conduct that interferes with peaceful protesting,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we will ensure that we can simultaneously protect public safety for our residents and our law enforcement officers.\u201d
The Department of Homeland Security said early Sunday on X<\/a> that the area around the facility had been secured and that the agency \u201cWON\u2019T BACK DOWN.\u201d
Protests outside the Delaney Hall facility Saturday morning saw a heavy police presence, including a group of officers with riot shields blocking the entrance. At one point, a group of federal agents, some carrying long guns, and an armored vehicle were stationed outside.
A day earlier, New Jersey\u2019s Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced<\/a> that the state would establish a protected peaceful protest zone outside the facility, citing safety concerns following protests in Minneapolis earlier this year where federal agents killed two American citizens.<\/a>
Sherrill said Saturday that she was \u201cgrateful to the vast majority of protesters who have assembled peacefully and raised their voices about Delaney Hall\u2019s conditions.\u201d She reiterated calls to \u201ckeep the temperature down\u201d following the arrest of six people outside the facility late Friday night after protesters failed to follow police orders to disperse. The governor said five of the six arrested were from out of state.
\u201cTo the people coming from out of state to create chaos and dangerous situations, you should not be here,\u201d she said at a news conference Saturday afternoon. \u201cYou are not helping the people detained at Delaney Hall. You\u2019re not helping detainee families, and you\u2019re certainly not keeping New Jersey safe.\u201d
The New Jersey State Police said in a statement that one of those faced a charge of disorderly conduct and endangering another person and the other five were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice. One of the protesters arrested was from Pennsylvania, four were from New York and one was from New Jersey, state police said.
Sherrill\u2019s announcement followed days of tensions outside the Delaney Hall facility over allegations of abysmal conditions<\/a> and the use of violence against detainees, which the Department of Homeland Security denies. Nine people demonstrating in support of detainees were arrested Thursday following clashes with ICE officers.
DHS said in a statement Saturday afternoon that the arrests came amid what it described as a \u201ccoordinated campaign of violence against our ICE law enforcement.\u201d
\u201cThis violence against law enforcement must end,\u201d the agency said.
The atmosphere on Saturday was tense. Police set up fencing to establish protest areas and separate the groups. Later, police officers blocking the entrance to the facility were seen without riot gear.
Protesters rallying in support of immigrants inside the facility banged on drums and chanted, \u201cShut down Delaney Hall, free them all!\u201d and \u201cShut this racist system down!\u201d
Some held signs saying \u201cICE OUT NOW,\u201d and a group of healthcare workers held signs reading \u201cDoctor against deportations\u201d and \u201cHealth care worker against deportations.\u201d
Many of the demonstrators have said they were protesting what they described as unsafe and inhumane conditions inside Delaney Hall.
\u201cI\u2019m against these people being detained unlawfully, some of them have never had any convictions, and they\u2019re just in there,\u201d protester Dana, who declined to share her last name, told NBC News on Saturday afternoon. \u201cIt\u2019s not okay to treat human beings this way. I don\u2019t care how you feel about immigration, we\u2019re all human beings.\u201d
Jacqueline Calderone said she knew people who were recently detained by ICE.
\u201cThese people don\u2019t come here to commit crimes, they come here for a better life for them, their loved ones,\u201d she said. \u201cThey deserve rights. They deserve a fair process, due process.\u201d
Ashley Kussman said she was protesting for the detainees who were being held \u201cin cruel conditions and who are being abused by our government and by a private corporation acting for our government,\u201d referring to DHS and GEO Group, the private company that runs the facility.
\u201cI am very worried for the state of our country,\u201d she told The Associated Press. \u201cI support the Constitution. I support democracy and I support the freedom to speak, the freedom to gather, the freedom to live without having to worry that you\u2019re going to get kidnapped off the street by somebody in a mask and a uniform.\u201d
Separated by fencing, the group of pro-ICE protesters held American flags and chanted, \u201cUSA, USA.\u201d
They held signs that read \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d and \u201cSupport ICE.\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019re here basically to support ICE and the situations and the dealings that they\u2019re unfortunately coming about. They\u2019re just trying to do their jobs,\u201d protester Michael, who declined to give his last name, told the AP.
\u201cThese officers are just under crazy scrutiny,\u201d he said. \u201cThey just go out every day to risk their lives on the line and make sure that we make it home safe.\u201d
Some protesters shouted across the fencing at each other.
\u201cFor days, we\u2019ve heard reports of unsafe, inhumane and unconstitutional conditions there,\u201d Sherrill said at a news conference Friday. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen increasing violence, arrest and pepper spray at Delaney Hall, as well as public threats from the Trump administration, and we\u2019ve seen the risk to public safety rising outside of Delaney Hall.\u201d
DHS said on social media Saturday that ICE agents had \u201cbeen bitten and faced death threats and assaults from violent rioters in New Jersey.\u201d The agency thanked New Jersey law enforcement.
Regarding allegations of violence against the detainees inside the facility, GEO Group said in a statement Friday that staff responded to a \u201cphysical altercation involving detainees at Delaney Hall\u201d on Thursday and that, in accordance with its policies, staff used \u201ccontrol measures to safely resolve the situation, including the limited use of chemical agents.\u201d
The company added that its response was \u201ccarried out in strict adherence to federal standards and comprehensive training,\u201d and that affected detainees were evaluated by on-site medical personnel and \u201cwere cleared with no serious injuries.\u201d
GEO Group also said it categorically rejected what it called \u201cbaseless accusations\u201d against the facility, which it said were \u201cpolitically motivated,\u201d adding that its services are monitored by ICE and DHS.
It said its support services include \u201caround-the-clock access to medical care,\u201d dietitian-approved meals, religious and specialty diets and access to medical care, the statement said.
Protests were also tense Friday night as police erected barriers around the facility and ICE agents who had formed a line in front of protesters moved behind the building\u2019s perimeter fence, according to NBC New York. New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz said ICE officers agreed to stand down as state police assumed responsibility for security.
After some demonstrators refused to move to designated protest areas, state police issued multiple dispersal warnings before moving in at around 10 p.m. Officers pushed protesters back and deployed pepper spray.
Sierotowicz said some protesters \u201cwere observed retrieving face coverings, gas masks, fireworks, rocks, and other projectiles\u201d and a public safety response team was deployed to move the crowd away from the area and create \u201csafe passage for personnel with no significant injuries to the public or law enforcement.\u201d
Daniella Silva is a national reporter for NBC News, focusing on immigration and education.
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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