Sherrill sends state police to Delaney Hall amid escalating protests

Gov. Mikie Sherrill sent New Jersey State Police to Delaney Hall after federal officials said they would flood the Newark area with armed agents, turning a protest zone into an early stress test for her new administration. The move came as the privately run, 1,000-bed immigration detention center became the center of clashes involving ICE agents, demonstrators and local police.

Sherrill had already gone to Delaney Hall on May 25 and said she was the first sitting governor to visit the facility. She said her request for access was denied and that she was seeking answers about conditions inside. By May 29, state police had been ordered to assume control outside the site, where they established designated protest areas as the confrontation widened.

The governor’s office said the situation intensified sharply on May 31, when masked individuals threw projectiles, used barriers as weapons and set tires on fire in the street. Sherrill said additional support was needed to protect civilians and law enforcement, and she argued the state had to act to avoid a larger confrontation. She later said the officers were there to protect both peaceful protesters and law enforcement and to lower the temperature.

The crackdown outside Delaney Hall drew immediate pushback. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposed a nighttime curfew around the facility after clashes between protesters and police, and later criticized the state police response as resembling ICE tactics. A WNBC crew was ordered out of a marked news vehicle as police used tear gas during the protests, underscoring how quickly the scene had turned volatile.

The fight over Delaney Hall extended beyond the gates. Reports said detainees had staged a hunger strike beginning around May 22, and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim was reportedly pepper-sprayed during a Memorial Day visit. Family visitation was later reported to be resuming after the state said DHS met its demand to restore visits, but the protests continued.

The dispute escalated further on June 2, when New Jersey sued GEO Group, the facility operator, seeking full access for health inspectors after they were blocked from conducting a full inspection. The legal fight and the police deployment together showed how Delaney Hall had become more than a protest site: it was the first major test of how Sherrill intended to manage public order, federal power and political pressure all at once.