Demonstrations outside Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, turned violent Wednesday night when keffiyeh-clad agitators clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, hurling objects across a barrier as tensions continued to escalate.
The agitators, engaging in the fifth night of demonstrations against allegedly poor conditions for illegal aliens held at the detention center, wielded mattresses and large traffic cones as makeshift shields.
Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows agitators shouting “kill yourself, bro!” and “how do you live with yourself?” while tossing mattresses and other objects at agents.
The ICE agents deployed batons, pepper spray and threw objects back, in one instance tossing a wooden pallet at an agitator after yanking it away, according to video from the scene.
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ICE agents also deployed pepper balls against the crowds, according to journalist Oliya Scootercaster.
The agitators used cement blocks and sandbags to reinforce their line, videos and pictures obtained by Fox News Digital showed.
Crowds also blocked the surrounding street, a busy industrial corridor, and prevented trucks from moving through.
At times, the protesters began directing traffic on their own, video captured by Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz showed.
One truck driver got out of his car and castigated the agitators.
“Come on! What’s wrong with y’all?” the driver yelled, according to video posted by Scootercaster.
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The Wednesday night clashes follow similar confrontations Tuesday night that saw ICE agents beat back agitators with batons and deploy chemicals. ICE agents reacted after agitators attempted to stop vehicles from leaving the facility. Authorities made two arrests stemming from the incident after agitators sprayed unknown substances on law enforcement agents.
“ICE law enforcement officers were assaulted by anti-ICE rioters who sprayed law enforcement with an unknown chemical substance,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin wrote in a post on X.
Demonstrations have been ongoing for days after detainees in the facility wrote an open letter claiming they were not being fed, not receiving proper medical care and not being allowed to speak to their families.
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“We are being tortured physically and psychologically due to the poor food resources provided in these detention centers,” the letter read.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) refuted these claims in a statement.
“The facts are all detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the agency said in a statement.
Protests picked up steam when prominent New Jersey lawmakers showed up on Memorial Day. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill visited Monday and attempted to enter the facility.
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Kim was granted access to conduct congressional oversight, though Sherrill was not.
Kim detailed his entry into the facility in a series of X posts, calling the conditions “unacceptable” and citing a carton of milk he saw that was set to expire the next day. Mullin responded on X.
“It’s unfortunate that Senator Andy Kim (who I’ve had a good relationship with) is spreading this FALSE narrative and adding fuel to the fire for no other reason than political theater. This isn’t a Holiday Inn. Illegal aliens are at this detention facility because they broke our nation’s laws,” Mullin wrote.
Mullin also criticized the state’s leadership during a Thursday morning appearance on Fox & Friends for not supporting federal efforts with local law enforcement.
“We called local police, we called state police multiple times. Listen, I know the law enforcement there would love to respond, but because of Governor Sherrill’s behavior what the governor is doing, she’s not allowing public officers and state officers to respond,” Mullin said.
He also said a continued lack of cooperation could lead to a slowdown at local airports.
“If they’re not allowing it then we gotta prioritize federal police officers and that may affect international flights coming in and out of their airport. Because I’m gonna have to pull Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers out of being able to process international flights and put them helping our ICE agents,” Mullin said.
Fox News Digital contacted DHS and ICE for additional comment.
