In brief
After a series of clashes involving protesters, police, and federal ICE agents over a hunger strike at Delaney Hall, Newark’s mayor Ras Baraka imposed a nightly curfew. State police erected a protest zone, while Governor Mikie Sherrill condemned violent acts and called for calm. The federal government reopened family visits at the center, indicating a pause in the ongoing confrontation.
NEWARK, N.J. ― In a move aimed at calming escalating tensions, Mayor Ras Baraka announced a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew around Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center early Sunday. The curfew follows a series of violent clashes between protestors demanding better living conditions at the 1,000‑bed facility and law‑enforcement officers.
Images from the night show protestors fighting over barricades while police, riding in riot gear, used shields to push them back. In one striking clip shared on social media, officers on horseback marched through crowds in an effort to quell the unrest. The confrontation has been dubbed a “high‑profile” standoff, as activists point to a hunger strike initiated by detainees earlier in the month.
State police shifted tactics by establishing a protest zone outside Delaney Hall, a strategy that mirrored measures taken at other contested detention sites across the country. Meanwhile, federal ICE agents withdrew after being faced with resistance from both detainees’ supporters and counter‑protesters.
Governor Mikie Sherrill condemned the violence that erupted in Newark’s designated protest area, describing attacks on barricades and “projectile‑throwing” that threatened both the protestors and law‑enforcement. In a statement, she urged residents to keep calm and focused on the “better conditions for the detainees, for their families, and ultimately, for the closure of Delaney Hall.”
In addition to curfew and policing changes, federal officials announced that family visits at Delaney Hall would resume from Sunday onward. The decision marks a potential easing of tensions as the city’s leadership seeks “peaceful solutions.”
With the curfew in place, Newark’s community, advocates, and federal authorities are watching closely to see whether the measures will avert further clashes and bring the debate over immigration detention security to a resolution.
