A Memorial Day protest outside a Newark immigration detention center spiraled into a full-on circus Monday as anti-ICE demonstrators clashed with federal agents, a Democratic senator got caught in the crossfire and state politicians turned the facility into their latest anti-Trump photo op.
The chaos erupted outside Delaney Hall, the controversial 1,000-bed ICE detention center that has become ground zero in the left’s ongoing war against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Hundreds of detainees inside the facility are reportedly participating in a hunger and labor strike, claiming they’ve been served worm-infested food, crammed into overcrowded rooms without air conditioning and left languishing in the immigration system for months — in some cases more than a year.
Outside, activists and Democratic officials ratcheted up tensions as protesters flooded the streets, waved anti-ICE banners and blocked entrances while federal officers tried to maintain control.
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim said he was hit with pepper spray and pepper balls while attempting to mediate between protesters and federal agents. “What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country,” Kim told NJ.com after the confrontation, adding that he struggled to breathe afterward.
The senator claimed he was trying to calm the situation by persuading agents to lower their weapons and allow immigration activists to inspect vehicles leaving the facility before the scene deteriorated. “It’s sad, it’s a sad day,” Kim said.
Kim later blasted ICE and the Trump administration for what he described as escalating the unrest instead of de-escalating it. “I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help,” Kim said. “Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire. Civilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd. This is more of the same lawlessness we’ve seen elsewhere around the country.”
Kim demanded the facility be shut down “immediately,” calling Delaney Hall “a failure” of the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security accused protesters of creating a dangerous situation by blocking federal vehicles and refusing repeated lawful orders to disperse. DHS officials insisted officers used “the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.”
“The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly — not rioting,” DHS said in a sharply worded statement. “Obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony.”
Federal officials also pushed back on claims that Kim was directly struck by pepper-ball rounds. The standoff drew even more political grandstanding when New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill showed up demanding entry into the facility — only to be turned away.
DHS torched the governor’s visit as “nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day” while visitation remained suspended because of unrest outside the building.
Sherrill accused federal authorities of hiding conditions inside the detention center from public scrutiny. “My request for access to Delaney Hall was formally denied this morning, raising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view,” she said.
The governor claimed families of detainees described conditions inside as “heartbreaking,” while insisting “everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity.”
According to DHS, roughly 125 protesters surrounded the facility Sunday, many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags while blocking entrances and exits. The confrontation is only the latest flashpoint surrounding Delaney Hall, which opened in 2025 as part of President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to ramp up deportations and expand immigration detention capacity nationwide.
The facility operates under a massive 15-year contract between ICE and GEO Group worth roughly $1 billion. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and immigration activists have spent months trying to shut the facility down through lawsuits and protests, arguing it lacks proper permits and symbolizes what critics call the administration’s hardline immigration agenda.
GEO Group has fired back, accusing local Democrats of politicizing the facility while noting the center is expected to create hundreds of union jobs and pump millions into Newark’s economy.
The political drama surrounding Delaney Hall already produced one high-profile legal mess last year when Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted after allegedly interfering with ICE agents during another protest outside the same facility. She is currently fighting those federal charges in court.
🚨 WOW! Democrat Rep. Andy Kim managed to get himself PEPPER SPRAYED while hanging out with leftist rioters outside ICE Newark
Should’ve gotten your terrorist friends to move out of the way, Andy!
🤷🏻♂️
🎥 @elaadeliahu, @ScooterCasterNY https://t.co/WXKSM9m0dP pic.twitter.com/6F5IYrAiph
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 25, 2026
