New Jersey Governor Requests Access to ICE Detention Center During Hunger Strike

New Jersey's governor joined demonstrators outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark on Monday and asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for entry. The governor said the request was denied. She told the crowd that detainees should be treated with dignity regardless of immigration status.

Demonstrators gathered outside the facility for a third consecutive day. Some blocked a van attempting to leave, claiming a detainee was being transferred against a court order. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that all detainees receive three meals daily, clean water, clothing, bedding, and access to medical, dental, and mental health services.

The same statement said visitation has been suspended for safety reasons after protesters struck a transfer vehicle.

Newark's mayor visited the site and cited letters from inside describing inhumane conditions. A senator announced plans to conduct additional oversight at the center. The 1,000-bed facility, privately operated, reopened last year and holds detainees from New York and the Northeast.

>"Immigrants at Delaney Hall are on a hunger strike because they are fighting for their human rights. " — Sen. Cory Booker, Monday (CBS News) The governor has previously clashed with the Trump administration over state laws restricting masked law-enforcement operations.

The administration sued New Jersey officials in April over one such measure.