New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill Denied Access to Newark ICE Facility as Hunger Strike Continues
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was denied access to Delaney Hall in Newark on Memorial Day as detainees, families and advocates escalated pressure over conditions inside the privately run ICE detention facility.
Sherrill visited the facility with U.S. Sen. Andy Kim and other Democratic lawmakers while a hunger and labor strike by detainees held at Delaney Hall reportedly entered its fourth day. Local reports say detainees and families have alleged poor living conditions and inadequate medical care inside the facility.
The governor has called the reported conditions unacceptable and said she has long opposed private detention facilities. In an official statement posted Sunday, Sherrill said she was “deeply disturbed” by reports from Delaney Hall and continued to call for the facility’s closure.
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DHS offered a sharply different account. According to local reporting, the department called Sherrill’s visit a “political stunt” and said visitation had been suspended because of safety concerns tied to unrest outside the facility.
That disagreement is now the center of the story. New Jersey officials and detainee families are demanding access and accountability, while federal immigration authorities say security conditions limit visitation.
The practical stakes are significant for the Newark region. Delaney Hall is not a distant federal site; it sits inside New Jersey’s largest city, where local officials, families and advocates have repeatedly challenged its role in immigration detention.
The next question is whether lawmakers can obtain more direct oversight, whether ICE or DHS releases additional information about conditions inside, and whether the hunger strike forces a new response from state or federal officials.
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