Tensions rise outside Newark ICE facility as demonstrations continue

NEW YORK - Tensions escalated again Tuesday outside an immigrant detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, as protesters demanding better conditions for detainees clashed with federal immigration agents following days of demonstrations inside the facility.

What's going on at Delaney Hall?

What we know:

The confrontation unfolded outside Delaney Hall, where protesters gathered for a fifth consecutive day to demand the closure of the privately operated detention center. Demonstrators say migrants being held inside are enduring inhumane conditions, including poor-quality food and inadequate medical care.

ICE agents with paintball guns

By Tuesday morning, protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents faced off outside the facility as authorities shut down part of the street.

Witnesses reported that multiple ICE agents arrived in a tanker-style vehicle equipped with pepper spray and paintball launchers as demonstrators rushed toward another entrance after spotting increased law enforcement activity.

Protesters shouted at agents, accusing them of ignoring the conditions inside the facility and vowing to remain outside until officials respond to their demands.

The unrest follows several days of protests tied to an alleged hunger strike that detainees reportedly began Friday.

Timeline:

Migrants detained inside Delaney Hall allegedly began a hunger strike Friday, according to protesters and advocates, who say detainees are protesting living conditions, poor-quality food and lack of medical care inside the facility.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security sent a statement to FOX 5 NY that "there is no hunger strike at Delaney Hall at this time."

Over the following days, demonstrations outside the Newark detention center intensified as immigrant rights advocates and relatives of detainees gathered demanding the facility’s closure.

Tensions escalated Monday afternoon as protesters blocked entrances to Delaney Hall by locking arms, sitting on the ground and forming a human chain to prevent ICE vehicles from entering and leaving the property.

At about 5 p.m., authorities deployed pepper balls and pepper spray after demonstrators attempted to stop an ICE vehicle transporting a detainee to another facility, according to witnesses at the scene.

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill later visited the facility and spoke with relatives of detainees. Kim reportedly experienced breathing difficulties following the deployment of pepper spray during the confrontation.

Sherrill also attempted to enter Delaney Hall to inspect conditions inside but was denied access, according to reports from the scene.

Some protesters criticized Sherrill for not arriving sooner.

"You show up four days after people have been asking for you," one demonstrator shouted. "People are starving in there."

Sherrill described hearing "desperation" from families gathered outside the facility and said several 18-year-old women told her they were missing their high school graduations while being detained.

"These are people that are not harming our community," Sherrill said.

DHS responds

What they're saying:

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security defended officers’ actions during Monday’s clash, saying protesters obstructed law enforcement vehicles from exiting the facility and ignored repeated verbal commands to clear the area.

"We will not allow violent rioters to slow ICE down. Law and order will be restored.

There is no hunger strike at Delaney Hall at this time.

For the record: During hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day, delivered to the detained alien’s room and an adequate supply of drinking water or other beverages. 

All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Certified dieticians evaluate meals. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.

It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives."

Immigration