Greenwich Resident Among 6 Arrested At New Jersey Immigration Detention Center Protest: Officials

GREENWICH, CT — A Connecticut man is among six people who were arrested this past weekend during protests outside an immigration detention center in Newark, N.J.

Rayaan Baywa, 22, of the Riverside neighborhood of Greenwich, was charged with rioting/failure to disperse, according to an announcement from the Newark Department of Public Safety.

"These arrests were made after the suspects were observed committing property damage and blocking the entrance of Delaney Hall," Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr. said in a statement posted to the department's Facebook page. “At that point, an unlawful assembly was ordered, as blocking the entrance is a public safety hazard that puts everyone, including the detainees, in danger. These individuals refused to comply."

The arrests were made from Saturday, June 6, into Sunday, June 7.

Demonstrators have barricaded the entrances and exits at Delaney Hall with concrete blocks, traffic cones and other items, videos show.

The 1,000-bed prison is the first federal detention center to open under the second term of President Donald Trump. Delaney Hall has seen a wave of controversy since then, including allegations of poor treatment of detainees and visitors, several arrests involving demonstrators, federal charges against the city’s mayor and a U.S. congresswoman, a high-profile prison escape, and a detainee who died in federal custody.

Detainees at Delaney Hall launched a hunger strike last month, claiming that they are facing "inhumane" conditions including bad food, medical neglect and problems with visitation.

The Trump Administration has defended the conditions at the facility.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan toured the detention center, which is owned by GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the nation.

"Is it a five-star resort? No. But is it a well-run detention facility? Yes," Homan told CBS News. "The spaghetti was good."

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently told reporters, "The fact is, we're giving them the calories they want."

"This isn't Holiday Inn," he said.

The other arrestees from last weekend's protests are:

Allison Wuu, 19, of Fort Collins, Colo.; Lucas Jimenez, 18, of Hoboken, N.J.; Drew Larsen, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Solomon Dunston, 30, of Bordentown, N.J.; and Julianna Wurst, 19, Old Bridge, N.J.

This post includes previous reporting from Patch editors Eric Kiefer and Karen Wall.