US, New Jersey agree to resume family visits at Newark immigration center

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the state of New Jersey have reached an agreement to reinstate family visits at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark. The visits were halted following protests against alleged inhumane conditions and a subsequent hunger strike by approximately 300 detainees held at the facility. Governor Mikie Sherrill announced on Sunday, May 31, that limited visits would resume by noon, with full regular schedules expected to be restored on Monday.

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Starting today, limited visits will resume at noon, and regular visiting hours will be restored starting tomorrow. Families should contact the facility directly for additional details.

Governor Sherrill expressed her satisfaction that the DHS had responded to her demands, noting that law enforcement would assist in escorting families to the facility. She stressed the critical need for external actors to permit these visits to proceed safely. The Delaney Hall center has been the site of ongoing protests and unrest for several days, stemming from detainees' claims of mistreatment and inadequate medical care.

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It is critical that external actors allow this to happen safely.

In addition to resuming visits, Governor Sherrill reiterated her demands to the DHS. These include ensuring adequate care and medication for all detainees, providing a meaningful opportunity for detainees to review their cases, ceasing pressure on detainees to sign deportation documents, increasing transparency regarding who is being held at the facility, and ultimately closing the center. Tensions flared during protests on Saturday night between those demonstrating against the Trump administration's immigration policies and supporters of ICE agents and security personnel. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka had previously imposed a curfew in the area to help manage the protests.

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I continue to demand that DHS provide adequate care and medication for all detainees, give detainees a meaningful opportunity to review their cases, stop pressuring detainees to sign deportation documents, be transparent about who is being held in this facility, and ultimately, close this facility.