Clashes, Arrests and a Curfew as Protests Over Delaney Hall Intensify

Dozens of protesters were arrested outside Delaney Hall amid clashes on Monday, with reports putting the number between roughly 20 and over 46, officials and advocacy groups said.

The unrest followed a hunger strike by about 300 detainees and complaints about spoiled food, inadequate medical care, and retaliation at the GEO Group-run facility, advocates and lawyers said.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill deployed state police on Friday to take over policing from ICE, a move praised by DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and criticized by protesters and local officials, witnesses and statements show.

Delaney Hall has an average daily population between 800 and 900 and reopened after a 15-year GEO Group contract announced in February 2025 estimated at $1 billion, and it has drawn congressional oversight visits, officials said.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka instituted a nightly curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. within a half-mile of the facility, and family visitation was partially restored with full resumption expected on Monday, officials said.