_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Over a week of chaotic and violent clashes outside Delaney Hall — Newark, New Jersey's immigration detention center — culminated in dozens of arrests as New Jersey State Police deployed riot officers to fight back the agitators.
Protests erupted after allegations of poor conditions inside the center, where detainees are reportedly engaged in hunger and labor strikes. Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) took over policing from ICE after tensions escalated, establishing a protected protest zone. But well-funded and coordinated riots continued, with dozens of agitators arrested on Sunday night alone.
_THE FACTS_
The Department of Homeland Security denies the existence of a hunger strike, stating, “ALL detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, toiletries, and opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”
Fox News obtained monthly menus from the facility showing what the outlet described as "offerings one might find on a moderately priced cruise ship."
New Jersey State Police arrested between 20 and 46 protesters on Sunday night for defying a mandatory 9 pm curfew.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said those arrested "had come to the protest armed with helmets, shields, or gas masks" and "deliberately refused to comply with repeated orders to leave."
State officers in riot gear and some on horseback rushed the crowd as some rioters threw pieces of wood and large rocks at them.
One agitator who bit a police officer had previously been charged with distributing child pornography.
Over multiple days, clashes eventually broke out between far-left and far-right ideological groups. Communists and the far-right Proud Boys were both present.
Gov. Sherrill noted that multiple people arrested “were from outside New Jersey, and some national extremist groups have become involved in the protests.”
She also stated that she will not "give ICE a pretext" to expand operations in response to the clashes.
_OUR TAKE_
While the Department of Homeland Security refutes claims over poor conditions in the facility, New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim (D), who went to Delaney Hall, claims the food “is inedible” and that he “heard about the issues of mold and issues of safety and security.”
If Kim’s assertions are true, these are problems to be sorted out between the state and federal government. There is no excuse for riots and disorder to persist for nearly a week; authority must be exercised to restore order as quickly as possible. New Jersey politicians — including Governor Mikie Sherrill — do not deserve a victory lap for “solving” a crisis they helped create.
