12 hours ago
A fewer twelve protesters rallied extracurricular nan New Jersey statehouse successful Trenton connected Monday afternoon. They carried handmade signs pinch messages for illustration “U made it worse” and “Gov Sherrill, extremity lying astir Delaney Hall”. One led a corporate chant that summed up nan rally’s mood: “Hey, Mikie, WTF?”
The target of their ire: nan governor, Mikie Sherrill. Protesters opportunity nan recently elected Democratic politician has grounded to adequately reside nan dire business astatine nan Delaney Hall migration detention halfway successful Newark, wherever astatine slightest 300 detainees are connected a hunger and labour strike.
Over nan weekend, Sherrill sent successful authorities constabulary to “lower nan temperature” connected nan protests extracurricular nan facility, wherever hundreds of group had been gathering each time successful support of nan detainees striking complete what they opportunity are mediocre conditions, including maggot-ridden nutrient and denial of entree to aesculapian care. However, erstwhile nan authorities constabulary arrived successful riot cogwheel and connected horseback, tensions ticked up. According to aggregate protestation organizers who said to nan Guardian, dozens of protesters were arrested, and immoderate were hospitalized. State constabulary pulled a section news crew from their vehicle, exposing them to teargas. Other journalists were arrested and held successful custody for a afloat day.
Meanwhile, Sherrill has yet to meet nan strikers’ demands - nan first of which is to meet pinch Sherrill. Early past week, ICE denied her entree to Delaney. She said she is still being denied, but has met pinch family members of nan detainees.
“I will proceed fighting for accountability, transparency, and amended conditions astatine Delaney Hall,” Sherrill posted connected X connected Wednesday. “The detainees person requested to meet pinch maine and I want to meet pinch them.”
Protesters told nan Guardian they are upset astatine Sherrill, arsenic good arsenic her appointed authorities lawyer general, Jennifer Davenport, for sending successful authorities constabulary forces that brutalized protesters while failing to meet immoderate of nan demands issued by nan hunger and labour strikers. On apical of protesting extracurricular Delaney, demonstrators are putting nonstop unit connected officials, rallying astatine their offices and reiterating nan demands of nan hunger strikers. They want nan detainees released and for protesters’ first amendment authorities to beryllium protected.
“It’s astir arsenic gross a betrayal of these families [of detainees] and her voters arsenic you tin get,” said Sameer Khetan, a New Jersey resident who helped lead nan Trenton rally.
The demands asked of Sherrill
Defending her deployment of authorities police, Sherrill blamed “violence” astatine nan protests connected “people coming from retired of authorities to create chaos and vulnerable situations”. It’s existent that immoderate protesters person been coming to Delaney from adjacent states for illustration New York and Pennsylvania, but galore of nan Delaney detainees are besides from New York, according to an study from Austin Kocher, a Syracuse University investigation adjunct professor.
Advocates and organizers person condemned nan “outside agitator” rhetoric, saying that nan authorities government’s attraction connected policing protesters distracts from elected officials’ work to protect nan detainees and adjacent Delaney Hall.
On 3 June, hunger and labour strikers successful Delaney issued a connection detailing unit wrong nan installation successful retaliation for nan strike: “We person been subjected to reprisals, discrimination, mockery, mistreatment and threats, chiefly from ‘GEO’ staff,” referring to nan Geo Group, which runs nan facility. The strikers said that ICE agents came successful and pepper-sprayed strikers, causing immoderate to beryllium sent to nan hospital: “To this day, we haven’t heard thing astir those people.”
A spokesperson for Geo Group confirmed to nan City Reporter that unit utilized “chemical agents” successful consequence to “a beingness altercation involving detainees”. In a statement, DHS claimed that “all affected detainees were promptly evaluated by on-site aesculapian unit and were cleared pinch nary superior injuries”.
Upon taking agency successful January, Sherrill, a erstwhile national charismatic and US Congress member, strengthened sanctuary protections wrong nan state, signaling that she would beryllium a staunch force of ICE operations. But Delaney has been a trial of that promise. Sherrill joins a shape of elected Democrats who person criticized ICE operations – including nan Minneapolis politician Jacob Frey and nan Illinois politician JB Pritzker – while presiding complete rule enforcement forces arresting citizens protesting those operations.
John Mark Rozendaal was playing his cello extracurricular Delaney connected Friday nighttime erstwhile authorities constabulary descended successful riot gear. He said nan constabulary threw his cello to nan broadside and removed his mask, exposing him to teargas.
“Since [organizers] were asking for musicians, I took my cello and I played,” he said. “I hoped that my playing retired location extracurricular nan communal assistance shelter was comforting and calming for someone.”
Instead, he was arrested. One protester extracurricular of Sherrill’s agency connected Monday had already made a motion pinch livestream photos of Rozendaal playing nan cello and his arrest. It was captioned “Mikie Sherrill turning down nan temperature”, a reference to nan governor’s connection astir her determination to nonstop successful authorities police.
Multiple protesters said to nan Guardian astir hopes that Sherrill could beryllium removed from her agency done a recall; at slightest 1 progressive group that had thrown its weight down Sherrill called for her resignation.
“This is not nan personification I thought I was voting for,” said Neal McGrath astatine nan rally extracurricular Sherrill’s agency connected Monday. “If I knew that this was going to happen, I don’t deliberation I would’ve voted for her.”
Steps toward accountability
The hunger-striking detainees and protesters person seen immoderate wins successful nan astir 2 weeks since nan Delaney hunger and labour onslaught began. Visitation, antecedently suspended, is slowly being permitted again. According to defense group Cosecha New Jersey, arsenic of 1 June, each nan pregnant group wrong Delaney Hall person been released.
That aforesaid day, nan Newark politician Ras Baraka announced nan metropolis would beryllium taking complete supervision of nan protests from authorities police, distancing himself from their conduct complete nan weekend. Organizers opportunity that portion of nan extremity of nan protests extracurricular Delaney is to show support for those wrong done noise; that is now imaginable again, pinch nan removal of nan “free reside zone” barricades erected by authorities constabulary and nan city’s curfew lifted.
New Jersey elected officials are besides exploring accountability measures: On 2 June, some Baraka and Sherrill and Davenport announced lawsuits against Geo Group, citing wellness concerns and nan authorities section of wellness being denied afloat entree to nan facility. (The metropolis of Newark has been engaged successful ineligible action against Geo Group complete nan installation since April 2025.)
In a connection connected X, DHS responded: “This is simply a frivolous lawsuit. ICE is committed to transparency, and Delaney Hall complies pinch each required authorities and section laws.”
Still, unit remains connected Sherrill. On Wednesday, she told aggregate WNYC callers who asked astir nan unit complete nan play that “if authorities constabulary crossed lines, nan authorities lawyer wide would look into nan matter”. On Thursday, she announced a $12 cardinal summation successful backing for nan Detention Deportation Defense Initiative, nan state’s free ineligible services programme for residents facing deportations, arsenic good arsenic a accelerated ineligible consequence inaugural for emergency migration defense.
However, organizers opportunity their activity isn’t complete arsenic agelong arsenic detainees are successful Delaney. After Baraka lifted nan curfew astir Delaney connected Tuesday, protesters rushed backmost to nan facility. It was nan first clip this week that group held wrong were capable to perceive nan protesters calling for their release.
“When we’re extracurricular Delaney Hall, we’re chanting: ‘Free them all,’” said Rozendaal. “We spot them waving to us. We spot them making small bosom shapes pinch their hands. We perceive from nan families that nan group wrong are strengthened and rejoiced by our beingness retired there.”
