NJ Gov Sherrill, Sen Kim demand Delaney Hall closure after family meeting
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., met with families of detainees held at an immigration detention facility that critics say should be closed due to “unacceptable” conditions and an ongoing hunger strike.
Kim and Sherrill, both Democrats, requested access from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Delaney Hall in Newark, where hundreds of illegal immigrants are held.
“I returned to Delaney Hall with @GovSherrillNJ and other members of the NJ delegation to meet with detainee families and hear from community advocates,” Kim wrote on X on Monday. “We are working together to make sure they are heard and to talk to them. Delaney Hall must be closed immediately. ICE cannot be allowed to continue operating this way.”
FULL WEATHER IN NEWARK: HOUSE DEMOCRATS MAY FACE CONSEQUENCES OF DELANEY HALL INCIDENT
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., were spotted outside Delaney Hall headquarters on Monday. Democrats called for the closure of the detention facility amid claims that living conditions for illegal immigrants inside were poor. (Sen. Andy Kim; X)
Protesters on Sunday clashed with authorities outside the privately run facility – which was renovated last year as an immigration detention center – where some detainees went on a hunger strike to protest poor conditions inside.
Sherrill said he was “deeply disturbed” by the conditions at Delaney Hall, noting that he has always opposed and advocated against private detention facilities.
“I will continue to call for Delaney Hall to be closed because of reports like these,” he wrote on X on Sunday. “I contacted ICE to obtain access to the facility, and my office continues to coordinate closely with our federal delegation and attorneys, and I appreciate their continued oversight and work to hold DHS accountable.”
Kim and Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., arrived at Delaney Hall on Sunday but were denied entry. Critics of the facility claim detainees are subjected to poor conditions and mistreatment by staff.
US LAWYER ALINA HABBA ANNOUNCED THE REPRESENTATIVE. MCIVER HIT WITH FEDERAL LIABILITIES DUE TO NEWARK ICE CONFLICT
This image shows the Delaney Hall Facility building. (StateCourt.org)
“In summary, Delaney Hall is dangerous to those detained, their loved ones, and everyone who cares about immigrant rights, basic constitutional freedoms, and democracy,” the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said in a statement in February. he said. “Yet in the face of these brutal conditions, community members and families united in fierce opposition to the existence of Delaney Hall and the exploitation of people there.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE for comment.
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Democrats have repeatedly called for Delaney Hall to be closed. In May 2025, protesters, including three congressional lawmakers and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, gathered outside the facility and clashed with authorities. They allegedly got past security by going through gates that opened to allow an ICE bus inside.
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., faces a three-count federal indictment alleging that she assaulted, resisted and obstructed federal law enforcement that day. Baraka allegedly pushed and hit police officers to prevent his arrest.
At the time, Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin was questioning why lawmakers continued to defend some of the detainees at Delaney Hall while classifying them as “murderers, terrorists, child rapists, and MS-13 gang members.”
