Mayhem broke out at continuing anti-ICE protests at Newark’s Delaney Hall Saturday night, as police fired tear gas and moved protesters away following tension that included a “tug of war” over a security fence.
The chaos got so heated that a phalanx of cops with plastic shields and a fleet of police vehicles moved the anti-ICE demonstrators back, before Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued a curfew for the area.
“Due to the escalating situation at Delaney Hall and the increasing need for police intervention, immediate action is required to protect public safety,” he wrote in a message on X.
The struggle between the relatively small group of demonstrators and authorities started in earnest shortly after 9 p.m., and quickly started spiraling before cops took control.
“There was a tug of war over the fence. And then they brought the shields out on both sides of the street,” said Stephanie, 37, a demonstrator from New York.
“The cops threw the flashbangs,” she continued.
“Then I got away. I started seeing all the shields and I ran. There was a couple of loud bangs. I saw smoke grenades going through the air.”
After the struggle over the fence, police were seen moving people away down the streets from the facility.
“There were more cops tonight than protestors,” Dr. Kathleen Farley, who was at the scene, said.
One protestor said that after the people were moved away, a small fire was set.
Raychell Middlebrooks, who works at Essex County Correctional Facility down the block from Delaney Hall, couldn’t leave work when she tried.
“I was trying to leave at 10 and we were told we had to stay in the building. It was almost a standoff between the protestors and the police,” she said.
“The officers started to gas them. They threw five or six canisters of tear gas. It came out of the facility, we could smell it, we had to close the doors.”
Baraka said the curfew in the area of Doremus Avenue by the center was in effect starting at midnight Sunday — and going forward a curfew would be in effect “nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.”
“Individuals found in violation of this curfew will be subject to enforcement actions,” he added.
Other political figures and public personalities were also on the scene.
Lefty internet figure Hasan Piker was present at the start of the chaos but left long before the mayhem started in the night.
Anti-ICE activists are protesting at Delaney Hall following reports of inhumane living conditions, including overcrowding and limited hot water, which prompted a hunger and labor strike by detainees.
While protesters allege fire conditions, the DHS has denied these claims, characterizing the strike as a minor incident.
The Trump administration has posited that the standard of living at Delaney Hall is higher than most prisons.
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