‘Gasoline On The Fire’: ICE Agents, Protesters Clash Again As Hunger Strike Hits Day 5

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — After an intense clash at Delaney Hall over Memorial Day Weekend, during which a New Jersey lawmaker was pepper-sprayed, protests continue as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees enter day five of a hunger and labor strike.

Reports say ICE officers were seen at Delaney Hall “bright and early” on Tuesday morning, joined by protesters chanting, “We want justice, we want peace, we want ICE off our streets.”

The reports add that at least one person was arrested Tuesday morning, with video showing one person being carried out and placed into an ICE-marked vehicle.

More video shows ICE agents pushing back protestors on Tuesday morning as tensions continue to rise. Protestors can be seen singing songs and carrying signs in front of the masked federal agents.

Another shows ICE agents ripping a megaphone from a protester's hands as she was using it to scream it in their faces.

The strike began on Friday, when detainees said they were facing “inhumane” conditions, including bad food, medical neglect, and problems with visitation.

Tensions initially came to a head on Monday when ICE agents blocked off the portion of Doremus Avenue in front of the detention facility in the early morning, using pepper spray and batons against protesters before removing their barricades, demonstrators reported.

Interactions continued to heat up throughout Memorial Day, prompting New Jersey officials, including ICE critic Senator Andy Kim, to make an appearance at Delaney Hall.

"Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire," said Kim, who was reportedly pepper-sprayed by ICE during Monday's clash. "Our country deserves accountability. Our country deserves the humane treatment of every person here. In fact, our Constitution demands this. What I witnessed and experienced today was shameful. Delaney Hall is a failure; it’s this administration’s failure. The only way to make this right for our communities is to shut it down and make sure the failures we’ve seen never happen again.”

Also joining in the fray was Governor Mikie Sherrill, who was denied entry to the prison on Monday. She said she was "deeply disturbed" by reports of the poor conditions at Delaney Hall.

"I have long opposed private detention facilities and advocated against them. I will continue to call for the closure of Delaney Hall because of reports like these," Sherrill said. "I have contacted ICE to gain access to the facility and my office remains in close coordination with our federal delegation and with advocates, and I commend their continued oversight and work to hold DHS accountable."

Local officials have spoken out against the alleged treatment of detainees at Delaney Hall as well, including Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill.

“Those being held in detention centers deserve due process and the right to a fair and free trial,” Commissioner Gill said. “Under the Trump administration, thousands of individuals who are lawfully following the asylum process have been taken from their communities and detained without cause. Regardless of political beliefs, we must uphold the Constitution and defend the rights it grants.”

Check back with Patch.com throughout the day for updates on Delaney Hall developments.

With reporting from Karen Wall and Eric Kiefer

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• Feds Clash With NJ Protesters Outside ICE Prison, Sherrill Denied Visit As Hunger Strike Continues