Tensions escalated outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, after protesters clashed with ICE agents during demonstrations over alleged conditions inside the immigration center.
According to NBC New York, the facility has become the center of days-long protests tied to claims of inhumane living conditions and reports of a hunger strike among detainees.
The confrontation intensified Sunday after some protesters allegedly threw water bottles at ICE agents, prompting officers to deploy pepper spray.
By early Monday morning, demonstrators were seen chanting, holding signs and kneeling in front of three vans attempting to leave Delaney Hall in an effort to stop possible detainee transfers.
“I think it’s very clear that people are willing to put themselves on the line to try to resist exactly everything that’s going on with this administration when it comes to immigration issues,” community activist Kyler Dineen told NBC New York.
Video from the scene showed ICE personnel wearing face coverings and carrying batons while standing near armored vehicles positioned outside the facility.
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Hunger strike allegations
Advocates and protesters claimed detainees inside the facility had launched a hunger strike and work stoppage over conditions inside Delaney Hall.
“They are right now on a work strike and hunger strike protesting their conditions but also demanding to be set free,” a source told NBC New York.
Protesters said they feared detainees participating in the strike could be transferred to other ICE facilities.
The demonstrations have continued for several days as activists demand more transparency about what they describe as worsening conditions inside the detention center.
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New Jersey governor denied entry
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said she was denied access to the facility despite attempting to inspect it personally. “I’ve been advocating to go inside the prison for days now,” Sherrill said, according to NBC New York. “I was just denied that this morning officially.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security rejected claims of mistreatment in a statement.
The agency said detainees are provided with “wraparound medical care services,” along with adequate meals, hygiene products and communication access while in custody.
Still, both politicians and protesters questioned the accuracy of those claims.
“I think everyone needs to be treated humanely and the main thing that we’re protesting above all else is the condition of this facility,” Dineen said.
