Protests have resumed outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center, a facility that has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Located near Newark, New Jersey, the center was reopened in February 2025 after a period of closure, forming part of a network of detention facilities supporting Trump’s second-term plan to deport thousands of immigrants.
Local officials, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, assert that the facility was reactivated without proper permits or approvals. Critics have condemned conditions inside the center, alleging human rights violations.
The latest wave of protests this month followed reports of a hunger strike among detainees at Delaney Hall. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said health authorities sought to inspect the facility but were denied full access.
“As I have said repeatedly, the denial of full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from the public,” Sherrill, a Democrat, said on Thursday, May 28. She has called for the facility’s closure.
On Wednesday night, protesters clashed with law enforcement while trying to block the entrance to Delaney Hall. Some demonstrators wore gas masks, erected temporary barricades, and linked arms to form human chains.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that six protesters were arrested for allegedly assaulting federal employees. “Assaulting and obstructing ICE officers is a crime. Anyone who attacks federal personnel will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the department said in a statement.
However, critics have questioned the charges leveled by the Trump administration. A year earlier, Mayor Baraka was arrested at a protest for trespassing; the administration quickly dropped the charge but later indicted Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for assault. McIver denied the allegation, calling it “completely political.”
Democratic lawmakers, including McIver, have visited Delaney Hall in a supervisory capacity. On Wednesday night, Representatives Jerry Nadler, Daniel Goldman, and Adriano Espaillat inspected the center, describing deplorable conditions, including medical neglect and spoiled food.
Representative Frank Pallone, who also toured the facility, said: “I saw it with my own eyes: moldy food. People who needed immediate medical attention but couldn’t see a doctor for over a week or didn’t receive their medication.”
Earlier, Governor Sherrill was denied access to Delaney Hall. Members of Congress stated they have been turned away from other facilities as well, despite having legal oversight authority. A CNN report revealed that 50 immigrants have died in custody during Trump’s second term—the highest toll in at least two decades. Delaney Hall is currently operated by the private contractor GEO Group under a contract with ICE.
