Protests Erupt Over Conditions at Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center

Since mid-May, hundreds of immigration detainees at Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have begun a hunger strike. This has spurred protests outside the privately run facility, focusing on detention conditions and immigration enforcement issues.

Advocates and relatives have revealed that the protest involved about 300 detainees refusing food and work assignments. They cite poor food quality, delayed medical care, sanitation issues, and prolonged detention as major concerns. However, the Department of Homeland Security has refuted these claims, saying no coordinated hunger strike is happening.

According to Detention Watch Network, more than 200 individuals are still engaged in a labor and hunger strike within the facility. The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, an advocacy group for immigrant rights, reported that the hunger strike followed a rally by families outside the facility on May 22, 2026. During the rally, detainees communicated with supporters via phone and bullhorn.

The group stated on its website that approximately 300 detainees announced their participation in a coordinated strike, demanding improvements in conditions. Issues include ‘medical neglect, lack of air conditioning, and lack of food—often spoiled.’ They have called for a thorough investigation into the center’s operations.

We are not striking to demand better treatment and conditions. We are doing this to demand freedom, stated detainees in a rally statement.

A significant protest occurred outside the facility on May 24, with smaller gatherings reported the day before. The protests intensified on May 25 as family members, activists, and immigrant-rights groups gathered outside Delaney Hall, attempting to hinder vehicle movement in and out of the center.

Footage depicts several clashes outside Delaney Hall, including crowd-control measures used during confrontations between demonstrators and ICE agents. On May 25, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, alongside several Congress members, tried to visit the facility.

Governor Sherrill expressed her long-held opposition to private detention facilities and her commitment to advocating for the closure of Delaney Hall and opposing facility expansions in New Jersey, including a proposed site in Roxbury. She remarked on the heart-wrenching stories from families and advocates.

DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis dismissed these protests as politically motivated, asserting that there is no hunger strike and no subpar conditions at Delaney Hall. During the protests on May 25, New Jersey Senator Andy Kim stated he was pepper-sprayed while with other officials amid clashes with federal agents.

A DHS spokesperson informed Newsweek that no individuals were hit with pepper ball projectiles during the confrontation at Delaney Hall. The spokesperson described the situation as a law enforcement response to demonstrators who blocked officers from leaving the ICE facility and refused to heed lawful commands to clear the area.

DHS stated that officers employed ‘the minimum amount of force necessary’ to protect themselves and federal property. The agency emphasized that the First Amendment protects peaceful protests, not riots, and that any obstruction of law enforcement is a federal crime, with assaulting officers being a felony.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated on social media that the demonstrations persisted through May 26, with two arrests made for ‘assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers.’

On May 27, Congress members like Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Dan Goldman, and Adriano Espaillat visited Delaney Hall. Lawmakers reported detainees claimed poor conditions, highlighting contaminated food and inadequate medical care, labeling them ‘inhumane.’

The Associated Press reported DHS’s rejection of these allegations, claiming that the facility complies with required standards. DHS officials maintain there is no championed hunger strike, asserting that detainees receive appropriate food and medical care.

They also mentioned that protesters obstructed federal operations and assaulted officers during demonstrations. Located on the outskirts of Newark, New Jersey, the 1,196-bed Delaney Hall facility opened on May 1, 2025, and houses an average daily population of 908 detainees, as reported by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.