Latest news with #CalebVitello
Al Arabiya
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
The forgotten industrial estate at heart of fight over US immigration crackdown
A forgotten industrial estate in Newark, New Jersey is the latest frontline in the fight over US President Donald Trump's pursuit of mass deportations of undocumented migrants. Tensions at the site worsened on Friday when Newark mayor Ras Baraka was briefly detained while protesting against the newly reopened deportation center. Little more than a month after Trump's inauguration in January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inked a billion-dollar, 15-year contract with outsourcing giant Geo to transform Delaney Hall into a 1,000-bed detention center. It dwarfed a similar for-profit facility in nearby Elizabeth that has some 300 beds, compared to the many thousands of people in New Jersey subject to removal proceedings. At that location, many detainees wear orange scrubs even though officials insist they are not prisoners and enjoy perks like the use of tablet computers. Bars and grilles cover windows, detainees face prison-like regimes, and surveillance cameras keep watch. There is an emphasis on suicide prevention in the centers, with posters in group cells encouraging detainees to volunteer to return home. In February, acting ICE director Caleb Vitello, who since moved jobs, praised the Newark site -- the first new removal facility since Trump's return -- as helping 'streamline' the president's 'mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens.' But there is friction with the host area as Newark is a sanctuary city, meaning local police do not routinely cooperate with ICE, and the city has sued to prevent the new detention site from operating. 'More afraid' Detainees started to arrive on May 1, Geo told AFP, sparking condemnation from Baraka, who is running to be statewide governor and fiercely opposes Trump's migrant policy. Newark's Department of Public Safety visited the vast fortified Delaney Hall site this week demanding to inspect it -- but were refused entry. Baraka tried to get inside Tuesday and again on Wednesday, when the location was reinforced with armed federal agents, but was turned away both times. On Friday, he was arrested at the site by federal officials who handcuffed him. Baraka 'committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings,' Alina Habba, who Trump has named as New Jersey's interim US attorney, said on social media. 'He has been taken into custody.' 'The reality is this: I did nothing wrong,' Baraka said on his release. Newark has accused Geo of not possessing a certificate of occupancy, suggesting it is operating Delaney Hall illegally. There are parallel legal and political fights against Trump's anti-migrant tactics. 'It's a local step to oppose this kind of bullying that is going on, and the disregard for the people's laws,' Baraka told AFP earlier this week, suggesting that failing to uphold the laws would result in 'barbarism' -- 'the wild, wild west.' Baraka said the arrest of Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping a migrant evade ICE had sown fear among city employees. Geo insisted it had a valid occupancy certificate for the site, disused since 2023, but previously used to hold detainees under President Barack Obama. A spokesman accused Baraka of pursing a 'politicized campaign' and interfering with federal authorities while jeopardizing jobs in the center that pay $105,000 annually on average. Near the center, flanked by an oil depot and squat warehouses, an acrid smell forced protesters to don masks. 'People are more afraid than any time before,' said Viri Martinez, part of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, 30 members of which picketed Delaney Hall this week. 'ICE out of New Jersey,' they chanted. 'We've heard so many stories of parents being scared to drop off their kids at school. Kids being scared. 'What if I do go to school and my mom and dad are not back home when I come back', right?' she said, interrupted by a trucker honking in support.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE makes major move on detaining illegal immigrants in heart of blue state
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is making moves to detain illegal immigrants as the Trump administration looks to expand its arrest and deportation operations throughout the United States. ICE announced the "imminent reopening" of the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, N.J. The agency said it has reached an agreement with the facility's owner to re-establish a processing and detention center, which can accommodate up to 1,000 beds. "This detention center is the first to open under the new administration," acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in a statement. States Fire Back Against 'Sanctuary' Resistance As They Rally Around Trump's Deportation Efforts "The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump's mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities," he said. The agency said the facility will expand the capacity in the Northeast and increase the agency's ability to manage a "growing" enforcement and removal operation in the region. Read On The Fox News App Florida Sheriff Says Ice Partnership Only The Beginning In Illegal Migrant Crackdown It comes after interior ICE arrests have skyrocketed compared to Biden-era numbers as the agency seeks to launch a "historic" deportation campaign promised by the Trump campaign. Fox reported this month that Department of Homeland Security data showed 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8, compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That is a 137% increase. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has since said that over 20,000 illegal immigrants were arrested in a single month under the new administration. The administration has sought to unleash ICE agents by removing restrictions placed on them by the Biden administration, and ending Temporary Protected Status for some nationalities. It has also taken off limits on the use of expedited removal and allowed for ICE to review the parole status of migrants brought in via humanitarian parole, opening them up for deportation. The administration has been making agreements with other nations to take back their illegal immigrants or ramp up their own border security efforts. Fox News Digital reported earlier this month that ICE has just under 42,000 beds available to it and that it has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The Trump administration has been pushing hard to obtain more beds and detention space, but sources told Fox News Digital that it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver, due to the time necessary to identify buildings, hire people and conduct background checks and related article source: ICE makes major move on detaining illegal immigrants in heart of blue state
Fox News
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
ICE makes major move on detaining illegal immigrants in heart of blue state
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is making moves to detain illegal immigrants as the Trump administration looks to expand its arrest and deportation operations throughout the United States. ICE announced the "imminent reopening" of the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, N.J. The agency said it has reached an agreement with the facility's owner to re-establish a processing and detention center, which can accommodate up to 1,000 beds. "This detention center is the first to open under the new administration," acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in a statement. "The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump's mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities," he said. The agency said the facility will expand the capacity in the Northeast and increase the agency's ability to manage a "growing" enforcement and removal operation in the region. It comes after interior ICE arrests have skyrocketed compared to Biden-era numbers as the agency seeks to launch a "historic" deportation campaign promised by the Trump campaign. Fox reported this month that Department of Homeland Security data showed 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8, compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That is a 137% increase. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has since said that over 20,000 illegal immigrants were arrested in a single month under the new administration. The administration has sought to unleash ICE agents by removing restrictions placed on them by the Biden administration, and ending Temporary Protected Status for some nationalities. It has also taken off limits on the use of expedited removal and allowed for ICE to review the parole status of migrants brought in via humanitarian parole, opening them up for deportation. The administration has been making agreements with other nations to take back their illegal immigrants or ramp up their own border security efforts. Fox News Digital reported earlier this month that ICE has just under 42,000 beds available to it and that it has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The Trump administration has been pushing hard to obtain more beds and detention space, but sources told Fox News Digital that it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver, due to the time necessary to identify buildings, hire people and conduct background checks and related requirements.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ICE to open East Coast's largest federal immigration detention center in Newark
Immigration and Customs Enforcement will reopen a federal immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey that has a 1,000-bed capacity — the largest facility of its type on the East Coast. ICE announced Thursday that Delaney Hall will be the agency's first detention center to open under the Trump administration, which has made cracking down on illegal immigration a top priority. 'The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump's mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities,' acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in a statement. Delaney Hall, owned by private prison company GEO Group, previously housed immigrant detainees between 2011 and 2017. It's located next to Essex County jail. GEO Group announced its contact with ICE on an earnings call Thursday and said that the detention center would ideally be up-and-running by the end of June, The New Jersey Monitor reported. ICE will pay GEO Group $60 million a year for the next 15 years — a total of $900 million — to use Delaney Hall, the company said. GEO Group CEO David Donahue said on the earnings call that Trump's commitment to mass deportations would widen the 'scale of opportunity' for the private prison company. New Jersey currently has a law, signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2021, that bans ICE from opening jails specifically for immigrants in the state. That law was deemed partially unconstitutional by a federal judge in 2023. GEO Group sued the state of New Jersey in 2024 to overturn the law, arguing that the Garden State code violates the US Constitution's supremacy clause. New Jersey currently has one active immigration detention located in Elizabeth, which can house 270 people. New York, meanwhile, has three detention centers located in Buffalo, Orange County and Clinton County which have a combined 600 bed capacity, The City reported. Pennsylvania boasts what is currently the highest-capacity detention center — the Moshannon Valley Processing Center which can hold just over 1,000 individuals.
CBS News
28-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
ICE reopening migrant detention facility in Newark, New Jersey
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reopening a migrant detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. The Delaney Hall Facility has the capacity to hold 1,000 migrants. It's the first migrant detention center to open under the Trump administration. "The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody," acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in part in a statement. A spokesperson for Gov. Phil Murphy said, "We are extremely disappointed by the Trump Administration's new contract with a for-profit prison company to open an ICE detention center in Newark, one of New Jersey's most populous and diverse cities. Our Administration has previously fought to limit such entities opening in our state and will continue to do so." Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement, "Without satisfying city property-use requirements, inspections, and permits, Delaney Hall cannot lawfully open in Newark at this time. Regardless of the process, an immigrant detention center is not welcomed here. ICE's stated intention to round up 'criminals' is a thin veil that does not conceal their scheme to violate people's rights, desecrate the Constitution, and disassemble our democracy." New Jersey residents gather in support of immigrants The announcement drew outrage in Jersey City, where people gathered for a "Jersey City Stands With Immigrants" protest at City Hall on Thursday. "It's only a 15, 20 minute drive to the airport, to the international airport, right? They want to treat us, like, what, like they can just detain us without due process and be able to deport us?" community organizer Li Adorano said. "They want to violate our laws, and to a certain extent, they already do." Advocates say this is just the latest in a series of concerning moves by the administration. "We have the new administration trying to impose new anti-immigrant, you know, take here in New Jersey. New Jersey is actually against it, from grassroots all the way up to the governor," Adorano said. Fears are growing among New Jersey's immigrant communities. In South Jersey, Celal Emanet says U.S. Marshals arrested him and his wife at his Haddon Township restaurant. Emanet came to the U.S. on a religious visa and has been trying to gain his residency ever since. "We are waiting to get some results, and we don't see anything. And there was too many years, I had to [support] my family, you know? I had to work," he said.
