In a dramatic turn of events over Memorial Day weekend, detainees at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jerseystaged a hunger and labor strike to protest the deplorable conditions at the immigration detention facility operated by the GEO Group. The strike quickly escalated into violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement, drawing national attention to the plight of detainees.
The protests, which began on May 28were sparked by allegations of inadequate medical carespoiled foodand abuse by guards. Detainees reported having no access to quality medical care, insufficient food, and facing hostility and violence from the guards. The situation inside Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility, has become a microcosm of the broader issues plaguing immigration detention centers across the country.
Violent Clashes Erupt Outside Delaney Hall
Protesters gathered outside Delaney Hall to echo the detainees’ pleas for release and better conditions. However, they were met with brutal tactics from federal, local, and state law enforcement officials. Noah Hurowitza reporter for The Interceptdescribed the violence that erupted between protesters and law enforcement officers.
“The ICE agents on the scene were quite willing to use violence at times against protesters,” says Hurowitz. “But from everything I saw, the Newark and New Jersey police were much more indiscriminate with their violence and much more willing to attack outright and fire tear gas and really put people in danger.”
The clashes intensified on May 29 and May 30with widespread scenes of disorder as police used riot shields and gas masks. A freelance photographer for The Associated Press suffered a severe injury to her leg, and dozens of protesters were arrested. Mayor Ras Baraka imposed a curfew on Sunday night at 9 p.m., which led to further confrontations as police kettled protesters and prevented them from leaving.
The Broader Context of Immigration Detention
The situation at Delaney Hall is not an isolated incident. Andrea Sáenza former federal appellate immigration judge, highlighted the systemic issues within the immigration detention system. “What’s going on at Delaney is really a microcosm of what’s happening all over the country in terms of incredibly harsh and inhumane conditions in ICE detention,” she said.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnicka senior policy fellow at the American Immigration Councildiscussed the Trump administration‘s efforts to expand the detention system. “Since taking office, Trump expanded the scale of the detention system by 75 percent, rising from about 40,000 people in detention when he took office in 2026 to over 73,000 people in detention in January 2026,” he noted.
The Trump administration has also restricted oversight of Federal immigration detention centers, making it difficult for members of Congress and state officials to monitor conditions. Sáenz emphasized the lack of accountability within the system. “ICE doesn’t want people to see the way that they’re treating human beings in these facilities,” she said.
The Human Cost of Detention
The hunger and labor strike at Delaney Hall underscores the human cost of the immigration detention system. Detainees reported facing hostility and violence from guards, inadequate medical care, and spoiled food. These conditions have led to a rise in deaths in ICE detention, with 18 deaths reported just in this calendar year.
Reichlin-Melnick warned about the broader implications of the Trump administration’s policies. “We’re seeing every government database being turned into a tool of the mass deportation state, and that is something that impacts all Americans,” he said. “Because you cannot carry out a mass deportation of 4 percent of the U.S. population without fundamentally transforming the United States into more of a police state.”
The events at Delaney Hall have sparked a national conversation about the treatment of detainees and the need for reform within the immigration detention system. As protests continue and conditions inside detention centers remain a concern, the spotlight on these issues is unlikely to dim anytime soon.
