A hunger strike at an ICE facility in New Jersey has spurred protests. Here’s what we know

By Chris Boyette, Sarah Dewberry, Taylor Romine, CNN

(CNN) — A chaotic scene erupted early Monday outside a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey, which has been the site of protests, arrests of lawmakers and reports of a labor and hunger strike by detainees.

Protesters were seen blocking unmarked government vehicles and, at some point, were part of a skirmish with armed, masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside Delaney Hall, a privately owned 1,000-bed facility ICE uses as a detention center in Newark, as shown in video from Freedom News TV and obtained by CNN.

Tensions outside the facility escalated over the weekend and politicians called for oversight after months of accusations of inhumane conditions. Other ICE facilities across the country have also faced accusations of subpar conditions as President Donald Trump’s administration continues a massive nationwide deportation campaign. A recent CNN investigation found that nearly 50 ICE detainees have died since Trump’s return to office, the highest death toll in at least two decades.

The Department of Homeland Security denied the accusations posted by elected officials over the weekend, saying the politicians were “spreading smears about ICE law enforcement and the Delaney Hall ICE facility.”

Here is what we know about the New Jersey facility and why it’s at the center of another wave of protests and allegations of subpar living conditions.

Inhumane conditions lead to hunger strike, reports say

Before clashes between protesters and federal agents took place, a group of detainees at Delaney Hall went on a hunger and labor strike Friday to protest the spoiled food at the facility, just one of many issues they have regularly faced during their detention, said attorneys that represent some of the detainees. Roughly 300 detainees participated in the strike, NJ.com reported.

“The conditions are brutal,” said Selenia Destefani, a managing attorney and CEO of Nova Law Group, which represents multiple people in the facility. “People just sleep on the floor — overcrowded rooms, cold showers, no food, extremely cold in the cells with no blankets. Not sound conditions to live in.”

DHS didn’t directly respond to those accusations when asked for comment, but said in a news release sent to CNN that, “all detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries.”

“Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the news release said. “Certified dieticians evaluate meals. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”

The law firm also said they have had clients with medical conditions like cancer and diabetes who aren’t able to get access to medical care and neccessary medication, according to Alex Minogue, another attorney who works at Nova Law Group.

DHS also didn’t directly respond to the claim about clients’ access to treatment and medication, but said in the news release that it “provide(s) comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,” and “this includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”

One of Nova Law Group’s clients, Martin Alonso Soto Hernandez, participated with other detainees in the hunger and labor strike, and has been served spoiled food with worms in it, Destefani said. DHS didn’t respond directly to the accusation about the spoiled food.

The strike has been peaceful, with detainees refusing to eat or work, she said.

US Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey said he visited Delaney Hall on Saturday after hearing reports of the hunger strike. The Democratic lawmaker wrote in a post on X that he spoke with people who said they were arrested at scheduled immigration interviews for green cards, and witnessed “a carton with the milk inside congealed solid.”

US Rep. Frank Pallone said in a post on X detainees showed him food they were served that was moldy. DHS didn’t directly respond to a question about Pallone’s comments.

“The conditions are absolutely outrageous,” Pallone said. “This place needs to be closed down.”

DHS denied the claims from Kim and other politicians in a news release Monday afternoon.

“This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks,” acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are NO subprime conditions or abuse at the facility.”

CNN has also reached out to GEO Group, which operates the facility, for comment about the detainees’ claims.

Protesters and DHS agents clash outside detention center

At least a dozen people gathered outside Delaney Hall Sunday night into early Monday and were met by several federal agents.

Law enforcement wearing masks and vests marked with ICE patches were seen pulling protesters out of a crowd and detaining them, with at least one protester dragged across the ground, video from Freedom News TV shows. It is not immediately clear what led to the encounter.

Protesters could be heard yelling “stop” as agents went into the crowd.

The video later shows protesters placing yellow barricades in front of an unmarked vehicle blaring its sirens and with flashing emergency lights.

A spokesperson for DHS told CNN approximately 125 people “surrounded” Delaney Hall. They formed “a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits,” the agency said.

Protests outside Delaney Hall continued throughout the afternoon, with video showing people yelling at officers as sirens rang in the background. At least one person was seen being detained, and federal agents were seen throwing an unknown type of gas canister and telling protesters to get back.

Kim was caught in a cloud of tear gas Monday and had a hard time breathing, NJ.com reported. A photo from the outlet showed the senator getting water poured in his eyes by someone on scene.

DHS said the early Monday skirmish stemmed from protesters attempting to stop the transfer of Soto Hernandez. His wife had organized a rally Friday announcing the hunger strike at Delaney Hall, NJ.com reported.

“Martin Alonso Soto Hernandez, an illegal alien charged with assault, was scheduled for a transfer to another ICE detention facility, but agitators obstructed the vehicle’s path…” DHS said in the statement. “Later in the evening, ICE successfully dispersed approximately 70 agitators and removed the barricades obstructing operations and were able to transfer Soto Hernandez to the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility.”

Attorneys representing Soto Hernandez said they were able to see him at Elizabeth Detention Center, another facility in New Jersey that he was transferred to in the middle of the night.

“He was telling us how he now weighs like 110 pounds,” said Minogue. “Like he’s skin and bones. I could blow him away.”

Soto Hernandez, who was detained by ICE on January 20 while buying diapers, was previously arrested during an incident of alleged domestic violence with his wife, but the charges have since been dismissed and expunged, his attorneys said. Their client was one of many people who participated peacefully in the strike, they said.

On Sunday, a guard came to Soto Hernandez’s cell and put a piece of paper against the window, telling him he was going to be released, his attorneys said. He was given his possessions and clothes, but then was detained again in a process that left him with handcuffs around his ankles and wrists, and covered in bruises, Destefani said.

After being transferred to Elizabeth Detention Center, Soto Hernandez has been put in isolation and is not allowed to have calls, his attorneys said.

When asked about the allegations Soto Hernandez and his attorneys made about his time detained, DHS sent a news release it had released earlier in the day that said accusations by politicians about the facility are false.

Soto Hernandez’s wife, Gabriela, who is four months pregnant, has been having a difficult time during his detainment, Minogue said. The couple has two other children, with one child requiring medical care that they’ve had to put off because it is too difficult to manage with only one parent, she said.

Lawmakers try to visit ICE facility

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other Democratic lawmakers said they were not allowed inside the detention center Sunday and Monday.

A spokesperson for DHS told CNN Monday “visitation has been suspended out of an abundance of caution” following the clashes.

The governor, who previously said she was “disturbed” by reports of poor conditions at Delaney Hall, said she would continue to advocate for the closure of the detention center.

“The people inside Delaney Hall are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters and members of our community. In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity. We have a duty to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of everyone within our borders,” Sherrill said.

Congressman Rob Menendez Jr., who represents the area around Delaney Hall, posted on X he visited the facility “to conduct an unannounced oversight visit” after learning that a constituent was at risk of transfer or deportation due to his involvement in the recent strike, but he was denied access to the facility.

“I’m not even asking for any special treatment. You’re denying my right to go inside and do an oversight tour,” Menendez said. He has since been able to visit Soto Hernandez at Elizabeth Detention Center, he said in a later post.

Menendez got to Delaney Hall Sunday night and requested to see Soto Hernandez, but was told he would have to wait, he told CNN. When he was finally able to meet with an ICE official Monday morning, they said Soto Hernandez was transferred overnight. CNN has reached out to DHS about Menendez’s comments.

“When I heard, the first thing I thought of was having to tell his wife,” he said, adding he had promised he would make sure he saw Soto Hernandez. “His wife was not sleeping. She’s clearly very stressed, has anxiety, has young kids she’s taking care of by herself and pregnant.”

US Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey denounced conditions at Delaney Hall in a social media post Monday, saying, “Immigrants at Delaney Hall are on a hunger strike because they are fighting for their human rights” as conditions are “deplorable.”

“We’re working with our partners in the state to bring an end to this nightmare and I’ll be going to Delaney Hall again to conduct oversight,” he said.

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