Immigration post hastily opened, now experiencing upheaval as hundreds await their fate in “poor conditions.”
Late Friday, reports of detainee protests at New Jersey’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility – located at the heart of Newark, a sanctuary city – arose. Inside its privately-owned immigration hub, demonstrators blocked an entry point. Other accounts claim several previously being held in custody have escaped.
It had been a 20-hour wait before those in Delaney Hall were served food when the melee happened. Dozens packed in a third-floor dormitory began to object to the facility’s poor conditions. Included in complaints, horrible food and long periods between eating. Then, the challenge turned into a handful of detainees tearing down a flimsy wall or barrier.
At some point, several protestors blocked an entrance at the immigration facility with yellow traffic barricades. The same ramparts have been used by Delaney Hall staffers.
A story by Pix 11 recounted that a source witnessed at least four who fled from the facility on foot were running on nearby thoroughfares.
How law enforcement responded is unknown.
In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially disseminated a “Be On The Lookout” (BOLO) bulletin. In the release, the agency detailed suspect information and charges. As well, its intent to collaborate with other law enforcement bureaus. Even more, DHS and the FBI are offering a $10,00 reward for any information leading to the arrests of the escapees.
The department also denied any “widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall facility.” As per their statement, Delaney is “dedicated to providing high-quality services,” including “dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets.”
As of press time, the GEO Group Inc.— proprietor of Delaney Hall—has yet to put out a statement. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently chastised both the Florida-based, private-prison investment group and DHS for its supposed mismanagement of Delaney Hall.
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Footage shows a handful of vehicles carrying law enforcement rushing through the gates of the complex shortly after the public learned of the unrest. Some officers protecting the main entrance donned masks. Briefly, they clashed with demonstrations, some of whom also wore balaclavas.
“This entire situation lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail — including local zoning laws and fundamental constitutional rights,” said Newark’s Mayor Ras J. Baraka in a release.
“This is why city officials and our congressional delegation need to be allowed entry to observe and monitor . . . why private prisons pose a very real problem to our state and its constitution.”
Baraka has been a vocal opponent of the rushed, hushed operations of an immigration processing site that had been abandoned for years. This past February, GEO Group was awarded an estimated $1 billion, 15-year contract to reopen the Newark-based Delaney Hall.
By May 1, the 1,000-bed site resumed. However, the hasty moves by the second-largest private prison conglomerate brought ire and unease.
Baraka was arrested on-site for trespassing on May 9, while waiting for a post-visit briefing by a congressional delegation there to assess the detention center. Initially, NJ Attorney General Alina Habba accused him and three other elected officials – Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez, Jr. – for “storming” into the place. His charges were dropped by the Department of Justice after footage released showed he was invited into the site and calmly departed after law enforcement asked him to leave. He is now suing Habba.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) wrote about his concerns regarding the GEO Group’s takeover of Delaney Hall. He stated the strong possibility of “dangerous conditions that persist in privately operated immigration detention centers” that “create an environment ripe for mistreatment and abuse, without the necessary guardrails that not only endanger those housed at the facility, but also guards and prison staff.”
The escalations of safety inside Delaney Hall prove to be valid. NJ Alliance for Immigration Justice claimed there is an overflow of detainees that are causing issues. They posted on their X (Twitter) page that ICE “lost count” of detainees due to them “arresting, detaining, and deporting people with such haste and fervor that they can’t keep accurate headcount.”
Indeed, the movements of ICE have ramped up under the Trump Administration. Reports say the president’s aide, Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem set a goal to apprehend 3,000 immigrants daily. Municipalities such as Los Angeles have most recently experienced the brunt of those demands. Last week, multi-sited stings arrested hundreds of migrants.
At the same time, ICE staffers are purportedly positioned to be incentivized. Earlier in the year, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) unveiled that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is attempting to earmark a $42,000 bonus for every ICE employee. The mass arrests fall in line with meeting the federal quota and likely financial benefit—for both the employees and ultimately, GEO Group.
More information on the incident is still developing.
