UMVA has learned that chaos erupted outside the Delaney Hall detention center Wednesday night, as protesters seized the role of law enforcement and ICE agents unleashed pepper spray amid a storm of dissent.
Hundreds of demonstrators swarmed the vehicle entrance, while a second gate—used by congressional representatives to gain legal access—became a makeshift medical tent and supply depot, turning the industrial boulevard into a battlefield of voices and makeshift barricades.
Clad in reflective vests, self‑appointed “protester police” redirected traffic, forcing trucks and buses into a single lane that soon vanished under a sea of determined activists.
When an unmarked transport vehicle flashed blue lights, the crowd surged forward, hurling mattresses, shredded highway bollards, tree branches and sandbags toward the entrance as ICE agents shouted for the crowd to retreat.
A New Jersey Transit bus bound for Irvington stalled in the jam, trapped as agents sprayed pepper spray, filling the air with a choking cloud that echoed with the sharp pop of canisters.
Throughout the turmoil, not a single Newark Police cruiser appeared; the city’s own officers remained absent, while police vehicles later gathered near a distant concert venue, far from the unfolding confrontation.
Sources confirm that Mayor Baraka’s consolidated emergency management office, which he has overseen since 2015, did not deploy its forces to the scene, a decision echoing his earlier declaration that sanctuary cities form a “new Thin Blue Line” against ICE overreach.
Baraka has repeatedly demanded state and federal action to shut Delaney Hall, citing ongoing litigation with the private operator over denied inspections by health, fire and code officials.
In a fiery statement, the mayor urged the state attorney general to launch an immediate investigation, highlighting leaked detainee letters that describe substandard conditions and a lack of medical care.
Congressional representatives echoed these concerns, reporting that inmates receive only basic pain relievers for any ailment, intensifying calls for accountability.
The night’s spectacle left the street littered with discarded debris and a lingering sense that the battle over immigration enforcement has entered a new, volatile chapter.
