Tensions boiled over in Newark, New Jersey, late Saturday as a demonstration outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center escalated into violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
More than 200 people had gathered outside the facility earlier in the day, with both anti-ICE and pro-ICE groups setting up demonstrations. However, the situation deteriorated rapidly after dark when a faction of the crowd began shoving against the heavy metal security barricades encircling the complex, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.
State troopers clad in full riot gear moved quickly to disperse the gathering, deploying tear gas into the crowd. The confrontation intensified as some demonstrators began hurling rocks and bottles at the advancing officers, prompting the deployment of mounted police units. Amid the chaos, a fire was intentionally set in the middle of the street directly outside the facility.
The violent turn comes despite an explicit plea for calm earlier in the day from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. Sherrill defended the aggressive state police presence as "absolutely necessary" to preserve order, while warning out-of-state agitators to stay away from the area.
This weekend's unrest caps a tumultuous week of escalating demonstrations at Delaney Hall. On Monday, a separate protest made national headlines after U.S. Senator Andy Kim was reportedly pepper-sprayed by federal immigration agents during a chaotic encounter at the gates.
The privately-operated facility has faced intense scrutiny from activists and humanitarian groups. Inside the walls, several detainees have reportedly launched a hunger strike, protesting what they describe as abysmal food quality and a severe lack of adequate medical care.
The Trump administration has firmly rejected those allegations, instead accusing the outside demonstrators of using the complaints as a pretext for disorderly conduct and coordinated assaults on law enforcement officers.
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