Protesters clash with ICE agents outside New Jersey detention center | New Jersey
Protesters outside a New Jersey immigration detention center, where a hunger strike is ongoing, claimed US immigration officers used pepper spray and batons on them during a demonstration on Monday.
Protesters tried to stop ICE from transferring Martin Soto, who announced the strike, but officials said they could transfer him to the Elizabeth contract detention facility.
Demonstrators claimed the incident took place early this morning outside Delaney Hall in Newark, which was shaken by the ongoing hunger strike. ABC 7 reported. Protesters have been standing outside Delaney Hall since Friday.
But tensions flared late Sunday when dozens of protesters heard guards were preparing to move detainee Soto, who declared a hunger and work strike on Friday. The strike demands the immediate release of older and younger detainees, as well as those with medical problems. to the city.
Soto’s wife, Gabriela, has been protesting outside the facility. Gabriela, 28, tried to visit him on Sunday and while she was in line she noticed a man being herded into a van.
According to The City, some visitors to Delaney Hall told Gabriela, who was reportedly several months pregnant with their third child, that it was Martin and that she was running towards the vehicle.
“I was banging on the door of the van,” he told the news outlet. “I wasn’t letting that happen.”
He also said, “They were pulling him into the van and dragging him.” CBS News. “He was banging on the window. He was screaming and banging on the glass. That’s why everyone here is closing the door because they won’t let my husband be deported or sent away.”
Demonstrators gathered with Gabriela and blocked the entrance to prevent Martin from being transported. “Free Martin!” Gabriela and the crowd reportedly shouted. “Release them all!”
Around 1 a.m. Monday morning, ICE agents blocked the way to the back door of Delaney Hall, Gothamist. reportedapparently ICE is releasing their vehicles. Demonstrators clashed with ICE agents and some tried to block their vehicles.
Gothamist said ICE agents responded by clearing the area with force, pushing them onto sidewalks and pushing them into parked cars. The website reported that at least one protester was pepper-sprayed and one was injured in the leg.
Laura Herman, who serves as legal director for the advocacy organization Make The Road New Jersey, said attorneys have been communicating with the U.S. attorney’s office. The U.S. attorney’s office claimed Sunday that he would not be transferred because of a federal judge’s order prohibiting him from being taken out of state while his habeas petition continues in court, The City reported.
The hunger and work strike began after nearly 300 inmates signed a letter claiming Delaney Hall was filled with poor conditions and inadequate medical care. Gabriela Soto claimed agents retaliated against Martin for her advocacy.
Gabriela claimed they kept Martin in a cell for eight hours on Friday and interrogated him for his efforts.
“‘If we released you now, would you tell your wife to stop this protest? Did you know that your wife organized this protest? She did not comment,'” Gabriela Soto recalled to The City. She claimed the guards also asked her husband: “‘Are you the one organizing the strike inside?”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the agents’ actions and said they managed to transport Soto despite the demonstrations.
“On May 24, 2026, approximately 125 agitators surrounded the Delaney Hall Detention Facility. They formed a human chain around the entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entrances and exits,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“At approximately 4:30 p.m., Martin Alonso Soto Hernandez, an illegal alien accused of assault, was scheduled to be transferred to another ICE detention facility, but agitators blocked the vehicle’s path, obstructing the transfer, and struck the vehicle with unidentified objects, causing significant damage,” the statement continued.
“Later in the evening, ICE successfully dispersed approximately 70 agitators and removed roadblocks impeding operations and was able to transport Soto Hernandez to the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility.”
DHS also said, “Visitation has been suspended out of an abundance of caution to ensure the continued safety of staff, detainees, and visitors.”
New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim and Gov. Mikie Sherrill were outside the facility Monday morning to speak with relatives of detainees.
“I returned to Delaney Hall with @GovSherrillNJ and other members of the NJ delegation to meet with detainees’ families and hear from community advocates,” Kim said. in question About X. “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.”
