State inspectors denied access to Newark detention center as unrest escalates

Sherrill says health officials were barred from fully inspecting Delaney Hall amid allegations of violence and deteriorating conditions.

State health inspectors were denied access Thursday to a controversial Newark immigrant detention center where detainees have staged hunger and labor strikes over what they describe as squalid and inhumane living conditions.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement that New Jersey Department of Health staffers sought to inspect Delaney Hall, the 1,000-bed facility on Doremus Avenue, but were denied access and allowed to view only a “limited part of the facility.”

“As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is trying to hide from public view,” said Sherrill, a first-term Democrat who was herself was barred from visiting Delaney Hall on Monday. “We will review and share the department’s findings from the limited portion it was allowed to inspect, and we will continue to pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility.”

The governor’s statement comes amid escalating tensions at Delaney Hall, which has seen several violent clashes over the last week between baton-wielding ICE agents and protesters who regularly gather outside the facility.

The detainees have complained for months about poor conditions, including water that is unfit to drink, worm-riddled food, erratic meal times, overcrowding, and inconsistent distribution of prescription medications, among many other things.

The strikes, launched on May 22 by about 300 detainees, sparked renewed scrutiny by state lawmakers and widespread demonstrations.

Conditions inside have worsened, with detainees telling family members outside that dozens of ICE agents stormed housing units Thursday and beat some detainees until they were bloodied, according to the immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New Jersey.

In a video posted to social media, the wife of one detainee said her husband had called her screaming because agents were beating him and others in his unit.

“They just went in and started to gas them. He was barely breathing, and he said, ‘Honey, they’re hitting us,’ and everyone was screaming for help,” she said.

“Thankfully, the detainees did not respond, because they don’t want problems,” she said. “They’re not criminals. They just want rights; they just want to be heard. They’re not treating them correctly in there.”

Rep. Rob Menendez, a Hudson County Democrat who has been at Delaney Hall almost every day since the hunger and work strike began at the facility, said conditions inside would “shock the conscience” of any American. He said that at least four ambulances rushed into the detention center on Thursday afternoon.

“We want to know why that’s the case, who’s being transported, why they suffered those injuries, and where they’re being taken,” Menendez said. “These are things we need answers to, and the American people deserve answers. So we’re going to go get them.”

In a statement, Make the Road New Jersey added that “someone will be killed if no one intervenes and shuts this down.”

“These masked agents are acting as if they’re above the law,” the group said. “This is a modern-day concentration camp, and history will not forgive silence in this moment. We need to shut down Delaney Hall and free everyone inside.”

Sherrill said the complex should be shuttered following a week of violence and unrest.

“New Jersey believes in the rule of law, will uphold the Constitution, and Delaney Hall should be closed down,” she said. “I am calling for ICE to immediately de-escalate the situation.”

A spokesman for GEO Group, the private prison operator that has a 15-year, $1 billion contract to run Delaney Hall, declined to comment and referred inquiries to ICE.

But neither ICE nor its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, responded to requests for comment Thursday.

Meanwhile, other New Jersey politicians and advocates voiced concern over the allegations of violence inside the detention center.

Rep. Frank Pallone, a Monmouth County Democrat, said his office had received several calls about ICE’s retaliatory strike, which he called “unacceptable.”

“Trump’s ICE must de-escalate the situation at Delaney Hall and then shutter it permanently,” Pallone said. “We have had enough of this coordinated campaign of brutality. My colleagues and I will not rest until this facility closes its doors and our communities are made whole again.”

Amol Sinha, head of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, also called for Delaney Hall’s closure and the end of the Trump administration’s “detention and deportation machine.”

“Unrest within Delaney Hall is directly related to its rampant inhumane conditions and the Trump administration’s refusal to dedicate appropriate resources for basic human needs like food and health care,” Sinha said.

“Instead of addressing these dangers, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly obstructed officials’ access to the facility and attempted to silence those speaking out against the Trump administration’s agenda, including ICE’s use of violent force today,” he continued. “We’re urging public officials at all levels of government to leverage their oversight powers to shed light on the abuse inside the facility.”

Still, it seems unlikely ICE will back off, especially if Greg Bovino follows through on his plan to travel to the detention center.

Bovino, a former U.S. Border Patrol sector chief who became known for overseeing high-profile immigration enforcement operations, has remained a vocal supporter of aggressive deportation efforts. Since leaving government service, he has used social media to criticize Department of Homeland Security leadership and weigh in on immigration enforcement and anti-ICE protests.

“Hey everyone, that’s me at the airport pointing to the next flight to Newark. Flight 3450, 2:27 p.m., on time,” Bovino posted on X, formerly Twitter, at about 1:15 p.m.

“[Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne] Mullin and the rest of them have been trying to handle these riots and … well, let’s just say it’s not going great,” he continued. “For those of you in the comments section, give a vote. Should I just handle this myself? Those agents’ lives are at stake due to this inaction.”

Several protesters were arrested outside Delaney Hall on Thursday night. Protesters said federal agents fired pepper spray projectiles into the crowd and attempted to remove protective goggles from demonstrators to increase the effects of the spray.