Immigrant Strike in New Jersey Sparks New Clashes With ICE
Posted on 05/27/26 at 16:05
- Migrant Strike Continues at ICE
- Deplorable Internal Conditions Denounced
- Protests Generate Violent Clashes
Dozens of immigrants detained at the Delaney Hall center in New Jersey continued a hunger and work strike on Tuesday that has now lasted five consecutive days.
The protest comes after weekend clashes between agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, and demonstrators maintaining a vigil outside the detention center.
The detainees began the strike last Friday.
The protest emerged after months of complaints related to conditions inside the facility.
Among the main demands is intervention by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.
The state governor went to the site Monday with a Democratic congressional delegation.
However, authorities denied them access to the center.
Sherrill said the refusal “raises serious questions about what they are trying to hide from the public.”
She also reiterated her opposition to the operation of Delaney Hall and to the expansion of mass detention centers in the state.
Lawmakers Denounce Chaos and Use of Force
I rushed to ICE detention center Delaney Hall yesterday when I heard detainees began a hunger strike. Here’s what I saw: THREAD pic.twitter.com/N1npX2Mx4V
— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) May 24, 2026
According to the EFE news agency, Senator Andy Kim participated Monday in the vigil outside the detention center.
Unlike other representatives, he was allowed to enter Delaney Hall.
After his visit, he said he had witnessed “chaos inside and outside the detention center.”
Kim said ICE responded to criticism with a show of force.
“Instead of engaging with me and others about the horrific conditions, ICE sent an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only made things worse,” he wrote on his X account.
The senator also denounced that civilians were knocked down and subdued.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: ICE Sparks Controversy After Blocking Governor’s Access to Immigration Jail
He also said agents used pepper balls and pepper spray against protesters.
On Monday, demonstrators formed a human chain outside the center to prevent possible transfers of detained immigrants.
New clashes were later reported.
According to Kim, what happened at Delaney Hall reflects “more of the same lawlessness we have seen in other parts of the country.”
“What I witnessed and experienced was shameful,” he added.
Senator Cory Booker also publicly denounced the conditions at the center.
Booker said immigrants are maintaining the strike because they are “fighting for their human rights.”
He also described conditions inside Delaney Hall as “deplorable.”
ICE Denies the Existence of the Strike
The Department of Homeland Security rejected the accusations made by lawmakers and activists.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on social media that “there is no strike.”
According to Mullin, it is “a political stunt by New Jersey politicians.”
The debate also intensified over a new project in Roxbury, New Jersey.
The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to turn a warehouse into a detention center with capacity for up to 1,500 immigrants.
For now, the work remains limited while an environmental assessment is carried out.
Mold, Contaminated Food, and Medical Negligence Denounced
Organizations and relatives continue denouncing unsanitary conditions inside Delaney Hall.
Paulo Almirón, spokesperson for New Jersey Resistance in Action, explained that detainees receive one dollar per hour for cleaning work.
“Detainees are given one dollar an hour for jobs such as cleaning. That is not enough for them to buy anything or make calls,” he said.
Almirón denounced the presence of mold and the lack of adequate cleaning supplies.
He also said some detainees have had to clean using the same soap they use to bathe.
During Monday’s protest, one detainee managed to communicate by phone from inside the center.
According to Almirón, the detainee reported that the last meal served contained “live worms.”
He also said the shower water “is boiling hot.”
Relatives have also reported food shortages and lack of medical care.
“Many have been denied medical care except in chronic cases,” Almirón said.
The activist said a detainee with leukemia waited more than a month to receive medical treatment.
Delaney Hall has capacity for 1,196 people.
The center previously operated between 2011 and 2017.
It reopened in May of this year under GEO Group management through a 15-year contract valued at $1 billion.
