Gov. Mikie Sherrill accuses ICE of denying her access to Newark facility
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday accused ICE of denying her access to Delaney Hall, the Newark immigrant detention facility that has become the focus of lawsuits, protests and unsafe claims as scrutiny intensifies over allegations of unsafe conditions inside the center.
“ICE is preventing me from entering Delaney Hall, raising serious questions about what is going on behind the walls,” Sherrill wrote to X.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sherrill’s office to clarify whether Sherrill was trying to access the facility on Wednesday or was referring to an ongoing dispute over access.
The Democratic governor had previously attempted to visit the detention center over Memorial Day weekend but was denied entry, according to local news reports.
FOX NEWS INSIDE NEW JERSEY ICE FACILITY TAKEN AWAY BY DEMOCRATS
ICE agents other than New Jersey Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill. (Reporting Fox News Digital’s Rashid Umar Abbasi; Gov. Mikie Sherrill)
Sherrill said he has recently spoken with family members of people held at the facility and has heard allegations of unsafe conditions.
“Last night in Jersey City, I met with families whose loved ones were detained there,” Sherrill wrote. “What I heard increased my concerns even more.”
“Families shared heartbreaking reports of unsafe, inhumane and unconstitutional conditions, including detainees being denied access to appropriate medical care and medication, violence and intimidation, threats of loss of phone and video access, removal of visiting privileges, and deeply disturbing accounts of detainees being pressured to sign deportation documents without translation.”
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New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said ICE blocked her access to the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital; Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sherrill said he would continue to push for accountability and improved conditions at the facility and reiterated his support for its eventual closure.
The governor’s comments come after New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced this week that the state had filed a lawsuit against GEO Group Inc., the private company the Department of Homeland Security hired to operate the detention center.
The lawsuit seeks access for the New Jersey Department of Health to inspect the facility after state and local officials, including Sherrill, were allegedly denied entry. The file also makes reference to news that some detainees started a hunger strike due to the conditions in the center.
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State police officers arrest a person outside the Delaney Hall detention center during a protest against detainee transfers and federal immigration policies on May 29, 2026, in Newark, NJ. (Andres Kudacki/AP)
The Department of Homeland Security dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous.”
A DHS spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that detainees are provided with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap and other basic needs.
Sherrill also faced criticism from Newark officials, activists and law enforcement supporters for his response to demonstrations outside the facility.
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Protesters gathered outside Governor Mikie Sherrill’s office at the Statehouse in Trenton, NJ, on June 1, 2026, demanding that she take action and speak to the group about the Delaney Hall ICE facility. (Fox News Digital’s Rashid Umar Abbasi)
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said Tuesday that he disagreed with the tactics used by the New Jersey State Police after they were deployed to secure the area around Delaney Hall, describing the agency as a “sword.”
On Saturday, Sherrill defended the deployment, saying the New Jersey State Police Public Safety Response Team was sent to the area because it was “absolutely necessary to protect public safety and prevent tension.”
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When reached for comment, ICE referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Homeland Security, but the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
