Chaos at Delaney Hall: Four detainees escape Newark immigration facility; Food delays, protest fuel criticism of Trump-era detention policy
Four detainees escaped from the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark after allegedly breaking through a wall during what officials described as a night of unrest, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S.
Senator Andy Kim.
The detainees broke through an interior wall that led to an outer wall and then fled into a parking lot, Kim said on Friday, speaking outside the facility. The Democrat from New Jersey cited reports shared with him about the escape and said, 'Apparently the guards lost control of them.'
Authorities have not identified the escapees, and the DHS said more 'law enforcement partners' have been deployed to locate them.
However, it did not specify which agencies are involved. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka described Thursday night's events as an 'uprising and escape' and called for the 'chaos' at the facility to end.
Protest over conditions turns violent
Protesters gathered outside Delaney Hall on Thursday evening after reports that detainees were upset over delayed meals. Photos and video showed demonstrators pushing against gates. Some reportedly locked arms and blocked vehicles from passing through.
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Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said officers used pepper spray and physical force against protesters. 'Some protesters had minor injuries, but no one was hit by the vehicles,' she said.
Conditions inside the facility under scrutiny
Inside the centre, tensions escalated after meals arrived hours late, according to Mustafa Cetin, an attorney representing a detainee. 'They blocked off cameras… and some of them made their way into a housing unit with a very thin, shallow wall, and they knocked it out,' Cetin told AP.
Kim added he had heard of food issues and concerns over the water quality. He also indicated there could be 'major movements' of detainees from the facility in the next 24 hours.
The American Friends Service Committee, which provides legal representation to detainees, said its attorneys were unable to reach clients on Friday. 'Calls were cancelled and we couldn't get access,' said spokesperson Araceti Argueta.
Hunger, overcrowding, and controversy
In a statement Friday, the American Friends Service Committee said detainees were receiving meagre rations: breakfast at 6 a.m.,
dinner at 10 p.m., and no lunch. The GEO Group, which runs the facility, referred media queries to ICE.
Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed centre operated under a $1 billion, 15-year federal contract, has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement campaign. Newark is also one of several New Jersey cities facing lawsuits over so-called sanctuary policies.
Broader immigration push and political tensions
At the end of May, ICE held over 53,000 detainees nationwide—far above its budgeted capacity of 41,000.
Trump's policy architect Stephen Miller said last month ICE should aim for 3,000 daily arrests, a sharp increase from the current average.
Earlier this year, Democratic leaders clashed with the facility's operators. In May, Mayor Baraka was arrested for trespassing—charges later dropped—and Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged with assaulting federal officers during a skirmish at the centre. McIver denies wrongdoing and says she was performing her oversight duties as a lawmaker.
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