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Protests erupted at Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Center this weekend, where demonstrators physically blocked an immigration transfer vehicle.
According to The Jersey Vindicator, about 300 detainees launched a hunger and labor strike on Friday to protest mounting grievances over their treatment and legal cases, leading to subsequent demonstrations.
Tensions reached a boiling point on Sunday.
Demonstrators, who maintained a three-day presence outside the facility, blocked vehicles after guards reportedly removed hunger strike organizer Martin Soto. Witnesses saw Soto being escorted from the building and placed inside a vehicle.
Speaking to CBS News, Soto's pregnant wife, Gabriela Soto, stated that guards pulled and dragged her husband into the van as he resisted.
She noted that her husband was originally detained four months ago while buying diapers, despite a judge’s existing order for his release.
In response to the crisis, U.S. Representative Robert Menendez Jr., who had visited the center a day earlier as well, returned to the scene Sunday night. Menendez Jr. reportedly promised Gabriela he would not leave until he saw her husband.
The strike has thrown a spotlight on the living conditions inside the private facility, drawing immediate scrutiny from visiting federal lawmakers.
Following a Saturday tour of Delaney Hall, U.S. Senator Andy Kim and Rep. Menendez Jr. criticized the environment, with The Jersey Vindicator reporting their findings of filthy bathrooms, abusive guard behavior, and inadequate medical care.
Senator Kim told CBS News that detainees complained of inedible food and water issues. He also criticized the backlog in the legal system.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pushed back against these allegations.
According to a DHS statement, officials insist that all detainees are provided with clean water, hygiene toiletries, 24-hour emergency medical care, and three meals a day, evaluated by certified dieticians.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill released a statement expressing deep disturbance over the unsafe, inhumane, and unconstitutional reports. She renewed her calls to close the private facility and requested immediate access from ICE.
Her response, however, drew strong reactions from activists.
Kathy O’Leary of the Catholic peace organization Pax Christi said that the governor had entirely missed the moment. The ongoing crisis is not simply about reforming private prison conditions, but about ending ICE detention entirely and freeing the individuals held inside, she argued.
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