UMVA has learned that a violent showdown erupted outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, on the night of May 9, 2025, when protesters unleashed a mysterious chemical spray on ICE agents.
The clash followed a renewed siege by anti‑ICE demonstrators who, after a summer‑long occupation of the facility, returned with barricades that choked the entryways and a fury that quickly turned physical.
Footage captured by body‑worn cameras shows federal officers confronting the mob, flashing strobe lights and deploying pepper spray as rocks and other projectiles rain down from the crowd.
Amid the chaos, agitators shouted vitriolic slogans, daring the agents to “grab your gun and kill yourself,” while officers resorted to batons to disperse the frenzied crowd.
In the preceding night, two individuals were detained for assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement after spraying officers with an “unknown chemical substance,” a detail confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security.
Authorities have warned that any assault on federal officers constitutes a felony, pledging to pursue the maximum penalties for those involved.
Political leaders have seized on the unrest. The President dismissed the protesters as “paid‑for” actors, while the Homeland Security Secretary condemned Democratic lawmakers for allegedly aligning with extremist elements during the Memorial Day weekend.
As the standoff continues, ICE officers remain on high alert, reinforcing the facility and preparing for further confrontations as both sides brace for an uncertain and volatile future.
