Sherill calls on ICE to close New Jersey detention center

By Chris Wade
The Center Square

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is calling on the Trump administration to shut down a Newark ICE detention facility that has been rocked by violent protests over the past week.

The demand comes after New Jersey’s Department of Health said it was allegedly denied “full access” to Delaney Hall to investigate allegations of unsanitary conditions and abuse of detainees being held at the facility on immigration charges.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view,” Sherill, a Democrat, said in a statement. “New Jersey believes in the rule of law, will uphold the Constitution, and Delaney Hall should be closed down.”

For days, the ICE facility has been rocked by protests by immigrant rights groups and relatives of detainees, including violent overnight clashes between ICE agents and demonstrators.

“New Jersey believes in the rule of law, will uphold the Constitution, and Delaney Hall should be closed down,” Sherril said. “I am calling for ICE to immediately de-escalate the situation as I continue working to keep New Jersey residents safe.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin blasted the anti-ICE protests, saying demonstrators “bit, kicked, and punched” law enforcement officers during last night’s confrontation, and said Sherill “refused to allow state police to assist our officers.”

“Assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and felony,” he posted on X Thursday. “Throughout the night, nine rioters were arrested. Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Law and order will prevail.”

Department of Homeland Security officials have previously disputed allegations of mistreatment and substandard conditions in the New Jersey facility, one of 25 ICE Enforcement and Removal Operation facilities nationwide.

“This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks,” Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “These sanctuary politicians should be thanking ICE law enforcement for removing murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and drug traffickers from their communities.”

Delaney Hall is a privately operated 1,000-bed facility which currently has about 300 detainees, according to DHS.

The DHS statement said detainees are “provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. The agency said it also provides medical, dental, and mental health services, as well as 24-hour emergency care.

“In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens,” the agency said. “For many illegal aliens, this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”

The agency’s statement included screen grabs of social media posts by Sherrill and other top New Jersey Democrats like Sen. Cory Booker outside Delaney Hall “spreading smears” about ICE agents. It also listed about a dozen detainees currently being held at the Newark facility, pointing to their criminal records for murder, rape, assault and drug trafficking.

“We need these sanctuary politicians to stop peddling this garbage and cooperate with us to get these criminals out of their state,” Lis said in the statement. “These types of smears are contributing to our officers facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they remove the worst of the worst.”