Newark Detention Center Protests Enter Third Day

Protests outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, continued into a third day on Tuesday as demonstrators set up barricades and monitored vehicles they believed could be used to transfer detainees. The demonstrations have drawn federal officers to the scene and have at times turned confrontational. The protest effort is tied to a hunger and labor strike that began Friday inside the facility.

Organizers said the outside action began over the weekend and has been joined at times by local officials and members of Congress. During clashes over the weekend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents used pepper spray and batons against protesters, according to local officials and video from the scene. U.S. Senator Andy Kim was exposed to pepper spray on Monday, footage showed.

The Department of Homeland Security said agents used minimal force after demonstrators obstructed exit routes. Protesters said they were trying to prevent vehicles from leaving with detainees.

By Tuesday morning, more than 30 federal officers were positioned outside the facility as protesters maintained orange plastic traffic barriers near the entrance. Protesters said they intermittently moved the barriers to let vehicles pass while watching for vans they believed might be transporting detainees.

Detainees cite conditions and due process concerns

The protests are linked to a hunger and labor strike that organizers said involved about 300 detainees starting Friday. Detainees have cited poor living conditions, inadequate access to healthcare, and denial of due process rights, according to an open letter signed by nearly 300 detainees earlier this month.

An organizer with the Eyes on ICE coalition said that, as of Tuesday morning, many of the detainees who began the strike were still participating. The organizer said some detainees had their access to tablets and phones revoked.

Officials seek access; tensions continue outside facility

Local officials, including Governor Mikie Sherrill and several members of Congress, were denied access to the facility over the Memorial Day weekend, according to the account in the source material. Representative Rob Menendez was allowed into the facility on Tuesday after being denied access earlier, and said he learned about the revocation of detainees’ tablet and phone access over the last day.

The standoff outside Delaney Hall underscores ongoing disputes over conditions in immigration detention and the limits of protest activity around federal facilities. Officials have not indicated when the situation will be resolved.

Protest activity and any response by federal authorities, including any changes to access for officials or detainees, will be closely watched in the coming days.