‘I Was Violently Attacked By ICE Agents,’ NJ Nurse Claims

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Norma Bowe went to Delaney Hall to offer medical care for people visiting their loved ones. Then things got violent, advocates say.

Earlier this week, the ACLU-New Jersey announced that it has filed a notice of claim against the federal government on behalf of Bowe, a professor of public health at Kean University and a registered nurse.

The ACLU is alleging that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents recently assaulted Bowe in front of Delaney Hall, a privately owned federal detention center in Newark. The prison holds immigrant detainees from across New Jersey as they await deportation hearings.

According to Bowe, the incident took place outside the prison on May 25 at a “mobile health clinic” operated through the Reformed Church of Highland Park.

Bowe contends that she wasn’t there as a protester, only to give medical care and other aid to visitors at Delaney Hall.

The atmosphere was tense: detainees had recently launched a hunger and labor strike that would eventually ignite several weeks of fiery protests from their supporters.

According to legal filings, someone directed Bowe toward an injured person near a prison gate. Wearing a white shirt and a bright, red stethoscope, she walked toward the area and saw ICE agents dragging a young woman on the ground as she yelled for help.

Bowe said that she moved closer to help the woman, but felt someone grab the back of her shirt. That’s when masked agents shoved her to the ground, she says.

Bowe landed on her face and knee, suffering a fractured kneecap, torn meniscus and head injury, legal filings claim.

“I was violently attacked by ICE agents while I was trying to provide medical care for people visiting their loved ones in Delaney Hall,” said Bowe, a grandmother who has organized community service projects for social justice and human rights across the country.

“ICE agents are acting like they have impunity and are inflicting harm however and whenever they want; without accountability, more people will get hurt and die,” Bowe alleged.

“ICE must be held responsible,” she insisted.

Patch reached out to ICE seeking comment about the ACLU’s allegations. We will update this article with any reply we receive.

Bowe – who recently launched a fundraising campaign for a student whose husband was apprehended by ICE – has seen support from her pupils as she presses for more oversight of the controversial federal agency.

“She would never provoke anyone to cause her harm… she has one goal and that is to provide resources and be there to help others,” a former student commented.

“She always taught us empathy, respect, mindfulness, and kindness no matter the course we took,” another former student recalled. “She did not deserve this whatsoever.”

This week’s legal filing in New Jersey was part of a nationwide effort by the ACLU involving 54 claims across 17 states and Washington D.C.

“Across the country, the ACLU is fighting back against the Trump administration’s illegal conduct by filing claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, one of the few legal tools available to seek financial compensation for wrongdoing by federal government employees,” the nonprofit said.

PROTESTS AT DELANEY HALL: WHAT TO KNOW

Delaney Hall formerly held immigration detainees for the federal government from 2011 to 2017 under the Obama administration, until it closed and was turned into a halfway house. The prison was the first federal detention center to reopen under the second term of President Donald Trump. It is owned and operated by the GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the nation.

The prison has seen a wave of controversy since it began holding ICE detainees again, including allegations of poor treatment, federal charges against the city’s mayor and a U.S. congresswoman, a high-profile prison escape, and a detainee who died in federal custody.

Hundreds of detainees launched a hunger and labor strike at the prison in May. Detainees say they are facing “inhumane” conditions, such as a lack of medical care, bad food and an unfair court system. They continue to demand their freedom, including the immediate release of elderly, young and pregnant people, as well as those with serious medical conditions.

• Related: NJ ICE Detainee Was Raped At Delaney Hall, Attorney Alleges: Report
• Related: NJ ICE Prison's Air Conditioning Blows Out As Brutal Heat Wave Fries The Region

Homeland Security and prison spokespeople have denied the allegations of mistreatment. When reached for comment about the allegations at Delaney Hall, a Homeland Security spokesperson recently told Patch that “this is the best health care many aliens have received in their entire lives,” pointing to mandatory assessments for new arrivals, access to “24-hour emergency care” and meals that are “certified by dieticians.”

The accusations have also caught the attention of President Trump, who claimed that the United States runs the “finest facilities anywhere in the world of their type.”

Delaney Hall has become a frequent target for protesters since reopening.

Homeland Security spokespeople have accused protesters of attacking ICE agents during some of the rallies. Federal authorities have accused protesters of kicking ICE agents, spraying them with “unknown substances” and throwing objects, among other allegations.

Meanwhile, state police have accused demonstrators of “attacking” a barrier around the protest area, throwing projectiles, using the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street. Several people arrested during the protests have come from out-of-state, authorities said.

• Related: Arrests Continue At Delaney Hall After ICE Drawdown

Protesters and advocates have disputed the accusations, saying that ICE agents, state police and local cops have been the aggressors – and claiming there is video footage online proving it.

Activists say there have been multiple reports of pepper spraying, baton-wielding and crowd-shoving shared online. The people who have allegedly been sprayed include a local pastor and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim. Others have reportedly been “roughed up,” including a military veteran who was tackled to the ground while providing medical care to other demonstrators. Another video circulating online appears to show an ICE agent striking a protester with a baton, knocking them back into a moving 18‑wheeler truck.

>> READ MORE: ICE Protests Explode At NJ Prison: What We Know So Far

Other people have since claimed that they have been injured at Delaney Hall during recent protests.

In June, a vehicle hit a woman who was protesting outside the prison. Video footage shows a woman dressed in all black, standing with her back to the main road and waving an upside-down U.S. flag as a handful of other protesters stand nearby. Moments later, a car – possibly a red Dodge Challenger – rams into the woman from behind, knocking her to the ground.

• Related: Protester Struck By Car Outside NJ ICE Prison Plans Lawsuit, Report Says

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.