Newark imposes curfew near Delaney Hall after detention center clashes

Newark imposed a curfew around Delaney Hall after days of clashes outside the 1,000-bed immigration detention center turned a local protest into a wider fight over who controls the street, the facility and the federal immigration system.

Mayor Ras Baraka’s order covered a half-mile radius around the site from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., a move meant to separate nighttime public access from an area that had already seen repeated confrontations. The unrest came after reports that detainees had launched a hunger and labor strike over conditions inside the facility, with Gothamist saying the action had entered its seventh day and other reporting putting the number of participants at more than 200.

The dispute has pulled in local, state and federal authorities. New Jersey State Police set up designated protest zones and vehicle checkpoints outside Delaney Hall, effectively taking over perimeter monitoring as tensions escalated. ABC7 reported at least three arrests in overnight violence, and CBS News said ICE agents used pepper spray when protesters tried to block federal vehicles. The Department of Homeland Security denied that there was a hunger strike at the facility.

The political stakes in Newark are unusually high because Baraka has long been one of Delaney Hall’s most visible critics. He was reelected mayor on May 12, 2026, after facing seven challengers, and AP noted that he had previously been arrested while protesting outside a federal immigration detention center. The latest curfew underscored how quickly a protest over detention conditions had become a test of municipal authority and civil liberties, with residents, demonstrators and law enforcement all pushed into the same contested block.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill added to the pressure on the site after saying she was the first sitting governor to visit Delaney Hall, only to have her access request denied. She said the conditions she had heard about were unsafe, inhumane and unconstitutional, and she called for the facility to close. That criticism landed as members of Congress and other officials also tried to visit, turning the detention center into a political flash point far beyond Newark.

Delaney Hall reopened after ICE announced in February 2025 that the facility would resume as a 1,000-bed detention and immigration processing center. The GEO Group said the 15-year contract was expected to generate more than $60 million in annualized revenue in the first full year, with some reporting placing the total value at about $1.2 billion. ICE cited the site’s proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport as part of its operational value, a reminder that the fights outside the building are also tied to the economics of the federal detention system.