Newark Mayor Ras Baraka declared a curfew within a half-mile of the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center early Sunday morning after confrontations outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility further escalated.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Saturday accused outside agitators of escalating the confrontations, which continued Saturday night. She said protesters set fire to tires and threw projectiles at officers. The curfew bans pedestrians from Doremus Avenue, the road on which Delaney Hall sits, between 9 PM and 6 AM “until further notice.”
“Due to the escalating situation at Delaney Hall and the increasing need for police intervention, immediate action is required to protect public safety,” Baraka said in the announcement. “Multiple individuals have already been arrested and found in possession of weapons, underscoring the seriousness of the threat.”
The mayor did not specify how many people had been arrested or what weapons they had been found with.
On Friday, Sherrill announced that the State Police would take over external security for ICE. The governor said she made the move to prevent ICE from having a pretext to surge into New Jersey with greater numbers. She tasked the troopers with creating a First Amendment zone for protesters to gather.
“My number one priority will always be public safety, and I remain dedicated to protecting constitutional rights,” Sherrill said. “We simply cannot let ICE surge into our community.”
Demonstrators have congregated outside of Delaney Hall on a near-daily basis for more than a year, largely without incident. That changed last week, when reports of a hunger and labor strike over living conditions galvanized protesters. Some protesters sought to restrict access to the facility, and scuffles broke out after sunset each night. The confrontation gained national attention when a federal officer shot Senator Andy Kim with a pepper ball while he sought to de-escalate.
The state troopers’ presence did not ease tensions on Friday or Saturday. Officers with riot shields have pressed the crowd away from the facility, using officers on horseback, tear gas, and flash-bang grenades. Some demonstrators accused the State Police of coordinating with ICE to allow for shift changes at Delaney Hall.
Sherrill said five of the six people arrested Friday night came from out of state — she said they interfered and escalated the protests. Four came from New York City and another from a Pennsylvania suburb north of Philadelphia.
“To the people coming from out of state to create chaos and dangerous situations, you should not be here,” the governor said during a Saturday afternoon press conference. “You’re not helping the people detained at Delaney Hall, you’re not helping detainee families, and you’re certainly not keeping New Jersey safe.”
Sherrill condemned the violence but sought to separate it from the broader movement opposing Delaney Hall, saying the actions of a small group of agitators would not undermine efforts to protect public safety, challenge ICE operations in New Jersey, and push for better treatment of detainees inside the facility.
“I do not know why these individuals attacked or what they wanted to accomplish, but I refuse to let these dangerous actions detract from New Jersey’s dedication to ensuring public safety, keeping people safe from ICE, and that the people detained inside Delaney Hall are treated with dignity,” Sherrill said in the post-midnight statement.
Several people have been arrested over the course of the week, including a Morris County man charged with kicking and biting ICE agents.
The conflict has attracted a variety of political characters. On Saturday, a handful of Proud Boys marched toward the facility; left-wing online political commentator Hasan Piker protested outside Delaney Hall with NJ-12 candidate Adam Hamawy; and conservative activist Mike Crispi of America First Republicans of New Jersey held a pro-ICE demonstration, calling the protests a “paid-for, militant operation.” GOP U.S. Senate candidate Alex Zdan and 9th congressional district candidate Rosie Pino also visited.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has mulled pulling customs staff from Newark Liberty International Airport to assist federal agents in handling the fracas, according to Politico. Mullin and DHS officials have said concern over living conditions inside Delaney Hall is overblown.
“Together with our state and local law enforcement partners, we have SECURED the area around Delaney Hall,” the DHS wrote on social media. “ANYONE who attempts to obstruct law enforcement or disrupt our facility will face the FULL weight of the law.”
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said that while the vast majority of demonstrators protesting conditions at Delaney Hall remained peaceful throughout the day, a group of individuals breached areas designated for lawful protest and endangered both demonstrators and police officers.
“We thank the overwhelmingly peaceful protestors, who have been shining a light on the troubling conditions at Delaney Hall—including peacefully throughout the day today,” Davenport said. “We will continue our efforts to work with Governor Sherrill and the Administration to ensure that detainees at Delaney Hall are treated with humanity and decency.”
