Protesters clash with ICE as NJ detention facility demonstrations continue

Protesters continued demonstrations at Newark, New Jersey's Delaney Hall detention facility Tuesday, clashing with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they carried weekend protests into Tuesday.

Video shows immigration authorities shoving a woman through a line of masked and armed guards and threatening to deploy pepper spray as protesters shouted at the agents.

"You're over here breaking up, separating families, taking them away! WHY?" one protester screamed in the agents' faces.

Further clashes got physical when a protester shoved a megaphone in an agents face and the agent grabbed the device. Other agents began advancing on protesters and the two sides physically collided briefly before the confrontation dissipated.

The clashes extended a weekend protest over conditions for detainees in the facility, prompted by an apparent hunger strike undertaken by the detainees themselves.

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300 of the facility's detainees wrote an open letter claiming that detainees with HIV, cancer and other diseases were not receiving proper medical care and that other detainees were not being fed sufficiently and did not have opportunities to speak to their families.

DHS disputed these claims. "The facts are 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," the agency said in a statement.

"Certified dieticians evaluate meals. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens," the statement continued.

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"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," statement said.

The GEO Group, which privately operates Delaney Hall, also denied the accusations in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"The support services GEO provides include around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs. Additionally, all of GEO’s ICE Processing Centers are independently accredited by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care," the statement read.

"At locations where GEO provides health care services, individuals are provided with access to teams of medical professionals including physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and psychiatrists.  Ready access to off-site medical specialists, imaging facilities, Emergency Medical Services, and local community hospitals is also provided when needed," the statement continued.

The demonstrations brought prominent New Jersey Democrats to the forefront, including Sen. Andy Kim and Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

While Kim was allowed entry to the facility, Sherrill was denied. "My request to access the facility was denied this morning, raising even more questions about what they are trying to hide from public view. I’ll keep fighting for answers and to hold ICE accountable," Sherrill said in a Facebook post.

Kim was allowed to enter and conduct his congressional oversight responsibilities after personally calling Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin, a DHS spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital.

DHS also criticized Sherrill's visit, casting it as political theater. "Governor Sherrill’s visit to Delaney Hall is nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside the facility," the spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital. "Yesterday, approximately 125 agitators surrounded Delaney Hall Detention Facility, many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags. They formed a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits."

Other New Jersey Democrats to take part in the protests or visit the detention center included Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. and Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., who was arrested and charged federally in 2025 for allegedly assaulting an officer at Delaney Hall in 2025. McIver pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on June 23 to appeal a federal judge's refusal to dismiss her charges.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Fox News Digital contacted ICE, Sen. Kim, Gov. Sherrill, and Reps. McIver and Menendez for additional comment.