Protesters have returned to Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center in the United States. The facility has become one of many flashpoints in President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportation.
The center, located outside Newark, New Jersey, has long been controversial.
Delaney Hall, which reopened in February 2025 after a period of closure, is part of an immigration detention center designed to house the thousands of immigrants President Trump plans to deport during his second term.
Local officials, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, claim the facility was repurposed without proper permits or approvals. Critics have also denounced conditions inside the facility, alleging human rights violations.
The latest protests unfold this month following reports that detainees were on hunger strike inside Delaney Hall.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said health officials seeking to inspect the facility were denied full access.
“As we have said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from the public eye,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement Thursday.
The Democratic governor, elected last year, has supported calls to close the facilities.
On Wednesday night, demonstrators clashed with law enforcement in an attempt to prevent them from entering Delaney Hall.
Some demonstrators wore gas masks, erected makeshift barriers and joined arms to form a human chain.
Six protesters were arrested on suspicion of assaulting federal officers overnight, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Assaulting or obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and a felony,” the department said in a statement. “Anyone who attacks law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
But some critics have questioned the charges the Trump administration has brought against the Delaney Hall protesters. One year ago, in May 2025, Mayor Baraka was arrested during a protest on suspicion of trespassing.
The Trump administration quickly dropped the charges, but later charged U.S. Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, who was present, with assault. She denied the charges, calling them “purely political.”
Democratic lawmakers like McIver arrived at Delaney Hall to carry out their parliamentary oversight duties and tour the facility.
Three U.S. representatives, Jerry Nadler, Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaira, toured the center Wednesday night. They described dire conditions, including medical neglect and rotten food.
Congressman Frank Pallone, who previously visited the facility, said he witnessed similar conditions.
“I saw it with my own eyes. Moldy food. People who need urgent medical attention and can’t get medical attention or medicine for more than a week,” he said in a social media post.
But the Trump administration faces accusations that it tried to cover up poor conditions in detention facilities across the country.
For example, earlier this week, when Governor Sherrill tried to access Delaney Hall for testing, he was reportedly denied entry. Lawmakers say they too have been denied access to other facilities, in defiance of their legal oversight powers.
CNN reported that 50 immigrants died in custody nationwide during President Trump’s second term, the most in at least 20 years.
Delaney Hall is currently operated by private contractor GEO Group as part of a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
