Family visit to a New Jersey Immigrant Detention Center is set to resume after being suspended amid days of protests, arrests and clashes outside the facility, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Sunday.
In a statement posted on social media, Sherrill said the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reinstate visitation at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark that has become the center of protests following allegations of poor conditions and mistreatment of detainees.
“Starting today, limited visiting will resume at noon and regular visiting hours will be restored starting tomorrow,” Sherrill said. “Families should contact the facility directly for further details.”
The governor said the move was a response to demands from state officials and advocates who have spent days criticizing conditions inside the facility and calling for greater transparency.
The announcement comes after a tense week in which New Jersey State Police assumed responsibility for security outside Delaney Hall and established designated areas for demonstrations in an effort to avoid further clashes between demonstrators and federal authorities.
Protesters have been gathering outside Delaney Hall for over a week in support of inmates who claim inadequate medical care, poor living conditions and delays in immigration procedures, which DHS denies. Detainees reportedly carried out hunger strikes and labor strikes.
DHS suspended visits on Memorial Day, citing safety concerns related to unrest outside the facility. Federal authorities accused the protesters of threatening law enforcement and engaging in violent behavior.
A DHS spokesperson said Sunday that visits were suspended only because unrest outside the facility made the facility unsafe for officers, detainee families and attorneys. The agency said tours could resume now that the area around Delaney Hall has been secured.
“We have not given in to the governor’s demands,” the spokesperson said.
The atmosphere outside Delaney Hall remained tense on Saturday as demonstrators supporting the detainees were confronted by demonstrators who came to support ICE agents.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who last year was arrested outside Delaney Hall during an oversight visit, later imposed a nighttime curfew around the facility, citing public safety concerns.
State officials have repeatedly urged protesters to remain peaceful, warning that outside agitators risk undermining efforts to improve conditions at the facility.
In Sunday’s statement, Sherrill thanked the peaceful protesters while urging them to avoid further clashes.
“It is essential that external actors allow this to happen safely,” she said.
