Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposed a curfew early Sunday around Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in New Jersey, following a series of intense clashes between protesters and law enforcement. The curfew covers the area surrounding the facility and remains in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.
The decision came after another night of confrontations at the detention center, where demonstrators and police engaged in repeated standoffs. Photographs and videos from the scene showed protesters struggling over barricades while officers used riot shields to push crowds back. Social media footage also showed mounted police moving into crowds in an effort to disperse groups of demonstrators.
The demonstrations at the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall facility began earlier this month after advocates reported that detainees launched a hunger strike to protest what they described as poor living conditions. The facility has become a focal point for opposition to the federal government’s immigration enforcement policies.
New Jersey State Police stepped in on Friday, replacing federal immigration agents who had been facing protesters outside the facility for several days. The heightened tensions prompted local officials to take additional measures aimed at preventing further violence and maintaining order around the detention center.
Officials Respond as Tensions Escalate
In a statement issued Sunday morning, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said that masked individuals attacked barriers in a designated protest area established by state police. According to the governor, some participants threw projectiles, used barriers as weapons and set tires on fire in the street.
Sherrill said such actions endangered both peaceful demonstrators and law enforcement personnel. While condemning the violence, she urged residents and advocates to focus their efforts on addressing concerns about conditions inside Delaney Hall, supporting detainees and their families, and pursuing calls for the facility’s closure.
Amid the unrest, Sherrill announced that the federal government had agreed to reopen family visitation at Delaney Hall beginning Sunday. Visits had been suspended during the recent disturbances.
Responding to questions about the decision, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that visitation had only been halted because of what it described as violent riots. The department said family visits could resume now that authorities had established what it called a secure perimeter around the detention center.
The developments highlight the growing tensions surrounding immigration detention policies and the conditions inside facilities such as Delaney Hall, where protests have continued to draw attention from activists, public officials and law enforcement agencies.
