Tensions rise outside Newark ICE facility amid detainee hunger strike

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 and a hunger strike 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 a hunger strike that detainees reportedly began Friday.

Delaney Hall hunger strike 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.

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.

"Our law enforcement followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public and federal property," a DHS spokesperson said.

The protests are the latest demonstrations tied to immigration enforcement operations and detention conditions nationwide as advocates continue pushing for increased oversight of detention facilities.

Immigration