(The Center Square) — A nighttime curfew remains in effect outside of a New Jersey ICE detention center Monday after days of violent confrontations with demonstrators that prompted Gov. Mikie Sherrill to deploy state police to restore order.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka enacted the 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew early Sunday after protesters and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers clashed outside the Newark facility, one of 25 ICE Enforcement and Removal Operation facilities nationwide.
But New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said a group of people “armed with helmets, shields, or gas masks” ignored the state police order Sunday night and were arrested. She didn’t say how many people were taken into custody, but local media reported dozens were arrested.
“A group of individuals who had come to the protest armed with helmets, shields, or gas masks deliberately refused to comply with repeated orders to leave the area and were arrested,” Davenport said. “Their actions put the public at risk, and I am grateful to law enforcement for de-escalating the situation.”
The Justice Department said it has charged a New Jersey man with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury after he allegedly kicked and “savagely bit” an ICE officer during the demonstrations.
“Assaulting law enforcement officers is unacceptable. Period,” U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey said in a statement. “Federal officers must be able to carry out their responsibilities without being subjected to violence, intimidation, or obstruction.”
The Delaney Hall ICE facility has become the latest flashpoint in opposition to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration since a group of detainees allegedly went on a hunger strike to protest conditions inside the facility.
The privately-run 1,000-bed facility has been rocked by more than a week of protests as Sherrill refused to send in state police to intervene in the violent clashes, prompting criticism from the Trump administration.
Late Friday, Sherill relented, announcing that state authorities would take over policing outside the ICE facility and set up a perimeter of gates for a “protected speech zone” to contain the demonstrations. The Democrat said ICE has also agreed to resume visitations following demands from state officials to improve conditions inside the facility and improve transparency.
But the Department of Homeland Security disputed claims that the agency caved into Sherrill’s demands, saying visitation was suspended “because the violent riots outside the facility made it unsafe for our officers, detainee’s families and lawyers to visit the facility.”
“We did not cave to the governor’s demands,” a DHS spokesperson said. “With Delaney Hall secure, ICE operations continue as normal. To be clear: Visitation was only suspended because of violent riots. Now that we have a secure perimeter, visitation can resume.”
DHS officials have previously pushed back on allegations of mistreatment and substandard conditions in the New Jersey facility, calling the claims “a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks” and
The agency said about 300 detainees currently being held at the Newark facility are “provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. It also provides medical, dental, and mental health services, as well as 24-hour emergency care.
“No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been better treated than illegal aliens,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
