politics
FBI Contacted Newark Protesters After Arrests at ICE Facility
Federal agents reached out to at least half of roughly 90 people arrested during protests at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. The contacts occurred after arrests began in late May and included requests for information on other demonstrators.
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John Mark Rozendaal was arrested outside Delaney Hall, a privately operated immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 29 while playing the cello during a protest. New Jersey State Police and ICE agents cleared the area after issuing a dispersal order, deploying chemical agents and mounted officers.
" He declined and invoked his right to remain silent.
Van Meter, a deputy public defender with the Essex County Public Defender’s Office, stated that at least half of the approximately 90 people arrested at the protests have received similar calls from federal agents. Van Meter sent a June 9 letter to the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey and to FBI officials in New York and New Jersey requesting that agents stop questioning represented clients without counsel present.
Samuel Becker, another protester facing local charges, told The Intercept that federal agents also visited him after his arrest. The FBI declined to comment on the contacts.
Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU’s New Jersey chapter, said the FBI has used similar approaches during past protest movements. Sinha advised that individuals approached by agents have the right to remain silent and to request an attorney. Karen Paff, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, said the office’s actions are standard when represented clients are contacted for questioning.
The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.
