Hundreds Protest Against Reopening ICE Detention Facility In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — Hundreds of protesters gathered in Newark on Tuesday to decry a plan to bring a massive federal immigration detention facility to New Jersey.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials recently confirmed that plans are underway to open a 1,000-bed facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, the state’s largest city. It would be the first federal detention center to open under President Donald Trump’s second term, and will increase the capacity for deportations throughout the region.

ICE officials said the agency has reached an agreement with the facility’s owner, the GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the nation. No specific date was released, but officials said the reopening is “imminent.”

>> Read More: ICE Detention Center In NJ Is First To Open Under Trump's New Term

The Trump administration has argued that a nationwide crackdown is needed to push back against a “large-scale invasion” of illegal immigration – a claim that has seen both criticism and support in Essex County.

Pro-immigration advocates gathered outside Delaney Hall on Tuesday to protest the reopening of the controversial facility, which formerly held immigration detainees until it closed in 2017 and was turned into a halfway house.

Groups including Make the Road New Jersey, Faith in New Jersey, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, and New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) endorsed Tuesday's demonstration.

“GeoGroup right behind me is using detention for profit, not for public safety,” said Eliana Fernandez, organizing director of Make the Road New Jersey.

“Congress and our state elected officials must stop the severe human and constitutional rights violations that ICE raids and ICE detention centers bring,” Fernandez urged. “We have rights under the Constitution, and we’re here to defend them.”

“The expansion of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on our own turf threatens the safety of hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans,” charged Selaedin Maksut, the executive director of CAIR-NJ.

“Nearly 25 percent of New Jersey’s population are immigrants,” Maksut added. “ICE has no place here.”

Under a 2021 state law, all prisons in New Jersey – public or private – are banned from making new contracts with ICE to hold federal detainees. Prisons also can’t expand or renew old agreements.

But since then, the GEO Group and another private company, CoreCivic – which runs the Elizabeth Detention Center in Union County – have challenged the law in court. A judge ruled in 2023 that CoreCivic could keep its jail in Elizabeth open. Federal authorities and prison companies are now seeking to add more detention space in New Jersey, despite the state’s ban.

According to the GEO Group, the 15-year, fixed-price contract for Delaney Hall is expected to generate in excess of $60 million in annualized revenues for GEO in the first full year of operations. The company estimated the 15-year value of the contract with normal cost of living adjustments to be approximately $1 billion.

The GEO Group was a major donor to a super PAC supporting Trump prior to November’s election, and has a history of supporting other Republican candidates. The company’s stock price shot up nearly 32% after news of Trump’s presidential victory was announced.

TRUMP, IMMIGRATION AND ESSEX COUNTY

As part of his campaign platform, President Trump vowed to immediately launch a nationwide immigration crackdown, including in sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal agencies. Several municipalities in New Jersey have declared “sanctuary” status, including the state’s largest city, Newark.

Trump’s administration didn’t waste any time making its first moves. On his first day in office, the White House announced a sweeping wave of presidential actions and executive orders, including several involving immigration.

“Over the last four years, the United States has endured a large-scale invasion at an unprecedented level,” the Trump administration said. “Millions of illegal aliens from nations and regions all around the world successfully entered the United States where they are now residing.”

“This cannot stand,” the president continued.

In January, ICE agents made national headlines when they raided a local seafood distributor in Newark, igniting a firestorm of controversy that has many community members speaking out in fear and anger – and others applauding for Trump.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – who spoke at Tuesday's rally outside Delaney Hall – said that three undocumented residents were detained, along with multiple U.S. citizens, including a military veteran.

The raid – which was done in a section of the city with a dense population of immigrants – took place without a warrant, he said.

The family member of an undocumented immigrant arrested in last week’s ICE raid in Newark later claimed that he doesn’t have a criminal record – despite how the Trump Administration has been trying to frame the crackdown. Read More: Man Arrested In Newark ICE Raid Isn’t A Criminal, Cousin Says

“My primo is the sweetest, kindest, most hardworking person you’ll ever meet,” she said, adding that he “pays all his bills on time, has never gotten into any trouble and is the type of person to do just about everything right.”

Since then, anxiety over other potential ICE raids has been manifesting across Essex County, including a “sighting” in Millburn that turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Read More: Rumor Of ICE Agents In Millburn Park Not True, Mayor Says

Several Congress members from the area recently made a surprise visit to the Elizabeth Detention Center, where at least one detainee arrested during the raid in Newark was lodged. They were denied access and delayed for nearly an hour. Read More: NJ Prison Gets Surprise Visit From 3 Congress Members Amid ICE Raids

Another high-profile ICE arrest took place in Newark in February, when agents apprehended a registered sex offender who entered the United States in October 2015 as a lawful permanent resident. Read More: ICE Arrests Sex Offender In Newark, Controversy Continues To Rage

Although the focus on federal immigration enforcement has ramped up since Trump took office, ICE raids also took place in New Jersey during former president Joe Biden’s watch.

• See Related: NJ Activists Say Biden’s Playbook On Immigration Is Similar To Trump’s
• See Related: New Jersey Immigrant Advocates Bash Biden’s Budget Proposal

A major immigration sweep took place in North Jersey the week before Trump’s inauguration, with ICE’s Newark field office arresting 33 non-citizens who have committed or been accused of crimes. The federal agency said it targeted “noncitizens” who had felonies or misdemeanors for domestic violence, sexual abuse or exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, and driving under the influence. Read More: Newark ICE Office Makes 33 Arrests, Deportations Loom

The Newark field office is located at 970 Broad Street, and processes federal detainees from across the state. Prior to New Jersey’s ban on ICE contracts took effect, hundreds of people were being arrested and deported from the Newark office every month. Read More: ICE In NJ Deported 500 People From Country In 3 Months, Feds Say

On the flip side of the coin, Trump’s pledge to carry out one of the largest deportation crackdowns in modern history has seen support from elected officials such as U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), who chaired the president’s New Jersey campaign last year.

Van Drew recently announced that a bill he authored – the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act – was included in the final passage of the Laken Riley Act, a new federal law that requires undocumented immigrants who are arrested for theft or violent crimes to be held in jail while their trials take place.

“The message is clear: if you are an illegal immigrant who assaults the officers who keep us safe, you will be immediately detained and you will be deported,” the congressman wrote, adding that under Trump’s leadership, “we are finally cleaning up the mess created by the Biden administration’s reckless open-border policies.”

Others have bashed the Trump administration’s plans, saying that New Jersey is a place where immigrants are welcomed – not feared.

Gov. Phil Murphy has gone on record that his administration will “fight like hell” and “fight to the death” against mass deportations under Trump’s second term. Many Garden State activists insist more needs to be done, however.

After Trump’s first day in office, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice – which has been helping to spearhead the resistance effort in the Garden State – launched a “Know Your Rights” campaign in nearly two dozen cities and towns. Outreach has been taking place in municipalities including Newark, Jersey City, Passaic, Hackensack, Perth Amboy, Kearny, Paterson, Trenton, New Brunswick, Elizabeth, Plainfield, Garfield, Union City, Bayonne, Linden, Clifton, East Orange, Sayreville, West New York and Fort Lee.

The ACLU of New Jersey recently posted a guide offering advice for “What to do if you’re approached by immigration officials in New Jersey,” which can be seen online here.

Meanwhile, New Jersey education officials released new guidance for schools about ICE raids after the Trump administration announced that it would allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals – ending a policy that had been in effect since 2011. Read More: If ICE Comes To School: NJ Issues Guidelines For Educators, Staff

MORE ICE RAIDS, ARRESTS IN THE TRI-STATE AREA

CAIR-NJ said the reopening of Delaney Hall in Newark is only one of several consequences of the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown that have recently echoed in the Tri-State Area.

On Feb. 26 – the same day that ICE made their announcement about reopening Delaney Hall – federal agents raided Jersey Kebab, a local business in Haddon Township, and arrested its owners, Celal and Emine Emanet, citing unresolved immigration status issues.

The Emanet family has been waiting for years for their green card status to be resolved and has no criminal record, CAIR-NJ said.

• See Related: Support Surges For Haddon Twp. Restaurant Owners Detained By ICE

Meanwhile, ICE also detained Mahmoud Khalil –a lawful permanent U.S. resident– and is currently seeking to revoke his green card. Khalil served as a negotiator between student protesters and Columbia University administration.

His arrest coincides with the Trump administration’s recent announcement to revoke visas and green cards of individuals it deems “Hamas supporters” – raising concerns about the targeting of activists based on their political beliefs, advocates said.

The Green Party of New Jersey has also pushed for Khalil's release, arguing that it “sets a dangerous precedent” which would allow the U.S. government to silence political dissent.

“As of the writing of this statement, almost no candidate – neither Republican nor Democrat – in the state of New Jersey has spoken in support of Mahmoud Khalil, despite initial reports indicating he was being held at the ICE facility in Elizabeth,” spokespeople said Wednesday.

“The same politicians who quickly attempted to capitalize on ICE raids around the state are currently silent on the violent detention of a legal resident, from the home he shares with his wife: a US citizen,” the Green Party charged.

• See Related: Protest Erupts In NYC After ICE Arrests Palestinian Columbia Student
• See Related: 3 NJ Colleges Could Face Antisemitism Penalties, Trump Administration Warns
• See Related: 'Know Your Protest Rights': New Jersey ACLU Shares Tips For Activists

Catch up on some of our other recent coverage involving ICE and immigration in New Jersey below (click headlines to read the article):

ICE Raids In NJ: What's Changed, What To Know

Officials' show of force has caused worry in parts of the state, while others are praising the deportation crackdown.

Murphy Said He Was Not Interviewed By ICE Over Immigrant Remarks

"I spoke to the director of Homeland Security a couple days ago and we exchanged messages on an unrelated topic," Gov. Murphy said Thursday.

Support Surges For NJ Restaurant Owners Detained By ICE

The husband and wife own and operate Jersey Kebab. Their green card applications are still pending after 9 years, according to their family.

Newark Councilman: Deport Criminals, Open 'Pathway To Citizenship'

There's more than one way to look at the immigration crisis, a Newark councilman said in the wake of a controversial ICE raid.

NJ Senator Cautions Against ‘False Hope’ Amid ICE Crackdowns

"It would be misleading to suggest a state law, a letter, or call from me, or most other elected officials, will put a stop to ICE raids."

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