Protesters block entrance to Newark immigrant detention center as ICE uses pepper spray

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Delaney Hall immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on the evening of May 27, 2026. Demonstrators took over traffic control on Doremus Avenue, directing vehicles including large trucks and a New Jersey Transit bus.

Protesters placed mattresses, a highway bollard, tree branches, and a sandbag in the roadway to block access to the facility's vehicle entrance. ICE agents released pepper spray after a federal vehicle approached the sally port and the crowd did not disperse.

Police response No Newark Police Department vehicles or officers appeared at the detention center during the confrontation. Newark police were present near the Prudential Center downtown to manage concert traffic. Mayor Ras Baraka's administration consolidated city police and emergency management under mayoral control in 2015.

Baraka did not respond to requests for comment on the absence of officers at Delaney Hall.

Baraka released a statement criticizing the GEO Group, the federal contractor operating Delaney Hall, and called on New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport to investigate conditions at the facility. He cited denied access for city health, fire, and code enforcement inspectors.

Nadler and Goldman reported that detainees said they were offered only acetaminophen for medical complaints. Sherrill visited the center on May 26 and raised similar objections.