Anti-ICE rioters spray chemical agents at feds in Newark protest
Federal immigration officers were attacked with chemical agents during the fifth consecutive night of violent clashes outside a Newark detention center, resulting in two arrests for assaulting federal officers.
The overnight confrontation erupted outside Delaney Hall when hostile demonstrators sprayed federal officers with an unidentified chemical substance as authorities worked to restore order, according to New York Post. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed the assault and announced two arrests for attacking, resisting, and impeding federal officers.
Video footage captured scenes of masked agitators, many wearing keffiyehs, confronting ICE agents in large numbers, blocking vehicles and creating disorder around the detention facility.
Assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and a felony, Mullin declared on social media, warning that anyone who attacks law enforcement will face maximum prosecution.
President Donald Trump dismissed the demonstrators as fabricated opposition during a White House cabinet meeting. Trump characterized them as paid agitators rather than genuine protesters when questioned about the ongoing disturbances.
By Wednesday morning, the crowd had diminished significantly, with approximately 30 armed ICE agents securing the facility’s main entrance.
Unrest Began With Detainee Strike
Delaney Hall has become a flashpoint for disorder since Friday, when detainees reportedly initiated a hunger and labor strike over conditions at the 1,000-bed facility, as New York Post reports.
Tensions intensified after Governor Mikie Sherrill joined demonstrators at the location on Monday, a move the Department of Homeland Security characterized as a political stunt.
Detainees have alleged they received contaminated food, endured overcrowded rooms without climate control, and experienced neglect of their immigration proceedings by federal judges, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
DHS Rejects Complaints, Defends Standards
The Department of Homeland Security has firmly rejected these allegations, asserting that conditions at its facilities exceed the detention standards of most American prisons housing U.S. citizens. Officials also denied any hunger strike was taking place.
Mullin stated Wednesday that only a small number of detainees have refused meals because they want ethnic food options. He dismissed such demands bluntly, suggesting detainees could return to their home countries if they wanted different cuisine, noting that adequate calories are being provided and the facility is not a hotel.
Memorial Day Protest Draws Sharp Criticism
Mullin sharply criticized Sherrill and other left-leaning New Jersey politicians for participating in the disruptive demonstrations on Memorial Day. He questioned the priorities of radical left Democrats who chose to protest a detention center housing serious criminals—including rapists, child predators, murderers, and drug dealers—on a day meant to honor fallen service members.
With information from New York Post
