Dozens of clergy members protest outside Newark ICE facility
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES - MAY 10: Security forces are seen as candidates for Governor of New Jersey Sean Spiller (L) and U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (R) speak outside of Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center following the arrest of City of
NEW JERSEY - Dozens of clergy members protested outside an ICE facility in Newark, N.J., on Monday, saying they would continue to block the gates accessing the facility until they are arrested.
What we know:
About 50 clergy members protested outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Monday. The group, affiliated with Faith in N.J. and Faith in Action, linked arms at the main gate, chanting and singing songs in a peaceful demonstration.
RELATED: Newark mayor Ras Baraka denies trespassing at immigration detention center following arrest
Protesters said they intended to block access to the facility until they were arrested. Some said prayers for the inmates and criticized their detention. The group claimed they had "volunteered" to be arrested and indicated they would attempt to enter the facility.
An ambulance was reportedly turned away from the gated area due to concerns that protesters might rush in if the gate was opened. One protester dismissed the ambulance’s presence as a tactic to displace the demonstration.
"There was no danger there," he said. "We're not going to be moved. We'll be here as long as it takes until people start to realize this is not acceptable."
The clergy protest follows a similar incident just days earlier. On Friday, Democratic lawmakers and other demonstrators stormed the gates of the same ICE facility. That event led to the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was charged with trespassing. Authorities claim an ICE agent was assaulted during the confrontation, which was caught on video.
Timeline:
The clergy protest follows a similar incident just days earlier. On Friday, Democratic lawmakers and other demonstrators protested outside the gates of the same ICE facility. After a confrontation with ICE officers, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing.
The other side:
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the demonstrations and questioned who the protesters wanted released.
"Who do they want released from Delaney Hall?" McLaughlin asked in response to Fox News’ coverage. "The child rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, MS-13 gang members or known terrorists?"
She also pushed back on allegations from Newark politicians that Delaney Hall lacked proper permitting. "The allegations by Newark politicians that Delaney does not have the proper permitting is false," DHS wrote on social media. "Meet who the New Jersey lawmakers are fighting for."
ICE officials told Fox News that 75% of detainees at the facility have either committed a crime, are convicted of a crime, or face pending criminal charges.
What they're saying:
During a joint appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rob Menendez, all Democrats from New Jersey, defended their participation in the earlier protest.
"Chaos ensued when someone on the phone above the leaders of ICE who were with us at that facility instructed them to go out of the facility, go to the private property and lock the mayor of the largest city in the state of New Jersey up," said Coleman.
"That's absurd. That's un-American. That's scary. That's determination to intimidate people in this country," she added, accusing the administration of "lying at all levels."
The Source: This story was written in conjunction with FOXNews.com