Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside New Jersey's statehouse in Trenton on Monday, their anger directed at Governor Mikie Sherrill over her handling of a hunger and labor strike at Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in Newark. The protesters' signs carried blunt messages: "U made it worse" and "Gov Sherrill, stop lying about Delaney Hall." The chant that echoed across the plaza cut straight to the point: "Hey, Mikie, WTF?"
At least 300 detainees inside Delaney Hall have stopped eating and working to protest what they describe as brutal conditions, including spoiled food infested with maggots and blocked access to medical care. For days, hundreds of supporters had gathered outside the facility in Newark, standing in solidarity with the strikers. When Sherrill dispatched state police in riot gear and on horseback to, as she put it, "lower the temperature," the situation spiraled in the opposite direction.
Multiple protest organizers told the Guardian that dozens were arrested and some hospitalized. State police yanked a local news crew from their vehicle and exposed them to teargas. Journalists were arrested and held in custody for an entire day. One musician, cellist John Mark Rozendaal, was playing outside a mutual aid tent when officers in riot gear descended. Police threw his instrument aside, ripped off his mask, and arrested him, leaving him exposed to the chemical spray.
The detainees' primary demand remains unmet: they want to meet directly with the governor. In a Wednesday post on X, Sherrill acknowledged the request and said she wanted the meeting to happen, but admitted she was still being denied access by ICE. She has spoken with family members of the detainees instead.
Sherrill, a Democrat who served as a federal prosecutor and U.S. Congress member, entered office in January with a promise to strengthen sanctuary protections and oppose ICE operations. Yet she now finds herself in a pattern shared by other Democratic leaders who have criticized immigration enforcement while deploying law enforcement against citizens protesting that same enforcement. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have followed similar paths.
In defending the police deployment, Sherrill blamed "violence" at the protests on "people coming from out of state to create chaos," suggesting that outside agitators were responsible. While some protesters have traveled from New York and Pennsylvania, researchers from Syracuse University note that many detainees inside Delaney are also from those states. Advocates have argued that the governor's focus on policing protesters deflects from the state's obligation to protect detainees and shut down the facility.
Inside Delaney, the strikers reported severe retaliation. On June 3, they issued a statement alleging that Geo Group staff, which operates the facility, subjected them to "reprisals, discrimination, mockery, mistreatment and threats." They claimed ICE agents pepper-sprayed strikers, sending some to the hospital. Geo Group confirmed it used "chemical agents" in response to what it called "a physical altercation," while the Department of Homeland Security stated all affected detainees were evaluated and cleared with no serious injuries.
The fallout from Sherrill's decision has been swift. At least one progressive group that supported her campaign has called for her resignation. Voters who backed her expressed betrayal. "This is not the person I thought I was voting for," said Neal McGrath at Monday's rally outside the governor's office. Some organizers have discussed trying to recall Sherrill from office.
There have been modest victories for the protesters and strikers. Visitation, previously suspended, is slowly being restored. As of June 1, all pregnant women detained at Delaney had been released. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka took control of protest supervision from state police and removed the "free speech zone" barricades and curfew that had restricted demonstrations, signaling distance from the police conduct over the weekend.
Both Baraka and Sherrill, along with state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, announced lawsuits against Geo Group on June 2, citing health and safety concerns and alleging the state health department was denied full facility access. DHS dismissed the case as frivolous and claimed Delaney Hall complies with all laws.
Sherrill has also announced new initiatives, including a $12 million increase in funding for the state's Detention Deportation Defense Initiative and a rapid legal response program for emergency immigration defense. She told WNYC callers that if state police "crossed lines," the attorney general would investigate. Yet organizers say these moves do not address their core demand: the closure of Delaney Hall and the release of all detainees.
After the curfew was lifted Tuesday, protesters rushed back to Delaney. For the first time in days, those inside could hear supporters calling for their freedom. Rozendaal, the cellist arrested while performing outside the facility, described the moment: "We see them waving to us. We see them making little heart shapes with their hands."
Author James Rodriguez: "Sherrill had a chance to walk the walk on immigration reform and instead ordered police to gas protesters and arrest musicians, undermining her own stated values and infuriating the voters who elected her."
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