Swansenreport

Newark Imposes Indefinite Curfew Around Delaney Hall as Anti-ICE Protests Enter Day Nine

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka declared an indefinite nighttime curfew around the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility early Sunday morning — imposed by the same mayor who was himself arrested at a protest at the same facility just a year ago — after nine days of demonstrations escalated into burning barricades, projectiles thrown at officers, and arrests of protesters found carrying weapons.

The curfew covers a half-mile radius around Delaney Hall, running from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly “until further notice.” Baraka announced the order after another night of clashes between state police and demonstrators. “Multiple individuals have already been arrested and found in possession of weapons, underscoring the seriousness of the threat,” he said. Doremus Avenue was simultaneously closed to all pedestrian traffic beginning at midnight, with vehicle access restricted to those with verified official business in the area. Newsweek

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill — a Democrat — dispatched state police to the scene Saturday, saying outside agitators had escalated the confrontations beyond what Newark police could manage alone. Protesters were seen in AP wire photos fighting over barricades as officers in riot gear pushed back with shields. Police on horseback were also deployed. Sherrill urged calm while also calling for “better conditions for the detainees” and ultimately the closure of Delaney Hall. WXPR

The protests began ten days ago after immigrant advocates claimed detainees had launched a hunger strike over living conditions inside the privately operated 1,000-bed facility. Congressional Democrats who toured the inside reported detainees being fed small portions of spoiled food and having medical needs go unaddressed. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin dismissed the hunger strike claims at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, saying only a handful of detainees were refusing food because they wanted their “ethnic group food.” An attorney representing detainees fired back: “Many detainees have been subjected to having worms in their food. I think they just don’t want to eat worms.” Wislawjournal

DHS announced Sunday morning that the perimeter around Delaney Hall had been “SECURED” following overnight clashes. “Anyone who attempts to obstruct law enforcement or disrupt our facility will face the FULL weight of the law,” the agency posted on X. Racine County Eye

The curfew is the most dramatic escalation yet in what has become the most intense immigration protest standoff in the country. A Democratic governor is sending state police to manage protesters, a Democratic mayor is imposing indefinite curfews, and the Biden-appointed congressmen who cheered on earlier demonstrations are now finding themselves on the other side of a crowd that has turned violent. For the Trump administration, the images from Delaney Hall this weekend are exactly the political environment it was hoping for heading into the summer.

Sources: Associated Press / Click2Houston | ABC7 New York / WABC | CNN | New Jersey Globe | Fox News Live Blog