A US Senator was tear gassed amid chaotic protests outside a New Jersey ICE facility on Monday after the state’s governor was denied entry in what the Department of Homeland Security called ‘a political stunt.’  

Anti-ICE protesters have hounded Delaney Hall in Newark for days amid a hunger and labor strike launched by hundreds of detainees inside, according to The New Jersey Monitor. 

The facility has been a point of controversy during the second Trump administration, with multiple Democrat politicians demanding its closure over concerns of poor conditions.

The migrants claim that they have been served beans and salad with worms inside, of being placed in crowded rooms without air conditioning and having their immigration cases ignored by federal judges. Some have been there for a year.

Governor Mikie Sherrill and Senator Andy Kim, alongside several members of the state’s Dem-heavy Congressional delegation, showed up to the building Monday demanding answers. 

While Kim was allowed in the building, shortly after he was hit by pepper balls shot out by federal agents at those protesting.

‘What we saw here is unfortunately just what we see all over the country,’ Kim told NJ.com, adding that he had trouble breathing.

Kim – who said earlier Monday the facility should be shut down ‘immediately’ – said before the melee broke out that he was trying to get the agents to stop pointing guns at protesters and broker a truce that would allow immigration activists to inspect cars leaving the facility. 

An anti-ICE protester confronts a federal agent during a demonstration at Delaney Hall

A protester is recovering from tear gas outside Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark

‘It’s sad, it’s a sad day,’ he added.

When contacted by the Daily Mail, Kim spoke in somewhat general terms about what he witnessed during his oversight visit.  

‘I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help,’ he said. 

‘Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire. Civilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd. This is more of the same lawlessness we’ve seen elsewhere around the country.’

Kim demanded ‘accountability’ from the Trump administration and a closure to the facility, which he called a ‘failure.’ 

‘Delaney Hall is a failure; it’s this administration’s failure. The only way to make this right for our communities is to shut it down and make sure the failures we’ve seen never happen again.’

A DHS spokesperson told the Daily Mail that ‘no individuals were directly struck by pepper ball projectiles.’

They said that rioters were obstructing federal agents from getting out of Delaney Hall and had given multiple legal commands to clear the area.

DHS claimed that rioters were obstructing federal agents from getting out of Delaney Hall and had given multiple legal commands to clear the area

Senator Andy Kim assists a protester as clashes with federal agents ensue

Democratic US Senator Andy Kim (pictured) was tear gassed at a protest outside an ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey

When they refused, DHS claimed officers ‘followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.’

‘The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting. DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.

‘We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony.’

A spokesperson for Governor Sherill told The Daily Mail that she spoke to Kim earlier Monday evening and criticized the treatment by federal agents. 

‘He is a sitting US Senator with a right to oversight of this federal facility, and he should be able to freely access it without being harmed,’ Steve Sigmund said.  

Earlier in the day, Sherrill expressed outrage over not being allowed inside the facility. 

Sherrill, who has also demanded the facility be closed, said that Homeland Security’s denial of access suggests they are hiding something. 

‘My request for access to Delaney Hall was formally denied this morning, raising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view,’ she said.

Kim often attempted to intervene on behalf of the protesters as they scuffled with law enforcement

Many were filming amid the chaos at Delaney Hall in Newark

Protesters have hounded outside the facility for days amid a hunger and labor strike launched by hundreds of detainees

Earlier in the day, Governor Mikie Sherrill (pictured left) expressed outrage over not being allowed inside the facility

She added that she spent the day speaking with family members of those detained who described conditions that were ‘heartbreaking.’ 

‘The people inside Delaney Hall are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and members of our community,’ she said. 

‘In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity. We have a duty to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of everyone within our borders.’ 

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to The Daily Mail that Senator Kim was allowed into Delaney Hall ‘to conduct his congressional oversight responsibilities.’

However, they slammed Governor Sherrill for allegedly making a difficult day for ICE and the facility even worse.  

‘Governor Sherrill’s visit to Delaney Hall is nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside the facility,’ a spokesperson told The Daily Mail. 

They said that on Sunday, around 125 protesters surrounded the facility, ‘many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags’ and blocked all entries and exits.

The spokesperson defended the treatment of those detained at the detention facility. 

A protester pours water on his eyes after getting pepper sprayed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Protesters demonstrate in front of ICE officers outside Delaney Hall in Newark

‘All detainees are provided with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries,’ adding that dieticians evaluate those meals.

They also said that those detained can communicate with family members and lawyers and called the conditions better than most American prisons.  

‘It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.’

Last year, Democrat Congresswoman LaMonica McIver was indicted over a brawl with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents outside the same detention facility.

McIver, who was among the New Jersey representatives at the facility on Monday, was slapped with federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers as they sought to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

The Congresswoman, who announced last week that she’s pregnant with her second child, is currently appealing a federal judge’s refusal to dismiss those charges. Her next court date is set for June 23.    

Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay, opened May 1, 2025, according to the private prison company that operates the center. 

The Trump administration’s announcement of its opening came amid a headline-grabbing crackdown on immigration around the country and as it ramped up its efforts to deport certain immigrants.

Kim gestures as law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator

Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay, opened May 1, 2025, according to the private prison company that operates the center

The situation is playing out in Newark and in federal court as the mayor litigates against the company running the facility. 

The city says it shouldn’t be open yet because of building permit issues. 

The conflict underscores the divide between what Trump views as an election mandate to deport people not lawfully in the US, and Democratic officials who question the administration’s methods as well as the necessity of cracking down.

The gray, two-story building next to a county prison operated as a halfway house before a February 2025 announcement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that it and the GEO Group, which runs Delaney Hall, reached a $1billion, 15-year deal for a detention center there.

The new facility sparked pushback from immigrants rights groups and the mayor in particular. 

Baraka sued GEO Group soon after the deal between the company and ICE was announced. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents maintain a crowd of protesters and press

DHS said that on Sunday, around 125 protesters surrounded the facility, ‘many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags’ and blocked all entries and exits

He said at the time the facility lacks the proper city permits in order to open, including a certificate of occupancy.

Florida-based GEO Group said the mayor is politicizing the situation and that city officials didn’t object when the Obama administration operated the facility as an ICE processing center.

Christopher Ferreira, a company spokesperson, said via a statement that the facility is creating ‘hundreds of unionized jobs, with an average annual salary of $105,000, and is expected to contribute $50 million to the local Newark economy.’

In legal filings, the company has argued there’s no legal standing for the city to seek a preliminary injunction based on the ‘purported violations of city codes.’