Mikie Sherrill protests Delaney Hall on Memorial Day with Andy Kim
mikie sherrill spent Memorial Day at Delaney Hall in Newark, where she met with families of detainees and protested outside the privately run ICE detention center. Sen. Andy Kim joined her and said they were there to hear from families and community advocates.
Kim said on Monday that he was back at Delaney Hall with Sherrill and other members of the New Jersey delegation. He wrote that they were there to meet with families of detainees and listen to community advocates, and said, “Delaney Hall must be shut down immediately. ICE cannot be allowed to continue operating in this way.”
Delaney Hall access request
Sherrill said on Sunday that she had contacted ICE to gain access to the facility. She also said she was “deeply disturbed” by the conditions inside Delaney Hall and wrote that she would continue to call for its closure because of reports like these.
Kim and Rep. Rob Menendez arrived at Delaney Hall on Sunday but were denied entry. Protesters clashed with authorities outside the facility the same day, adding another layer to an already public dispute over who can get inside and what conditions detainees are facing.
Families and detainees
Hundreds of illegal immigrants are being held at Delaney Hall, and some detainees have gone on a hunger strike to protest allegedly poor conditions inside. The facility was revamped as an immigration detention center last year, after critics had already been raising concerns about private detention facilities.
In February, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said Delaney Hall was dangerous for those being detained, their loved ones, and all who care about immigrants' rights, fundamental constitutional freedoms, and democracy. That criticism now sits alongside the families' accounts Sherrill and Kim were meeting with on Memorial Day.
For people trying to reach detainees, the immediate issue is access: Sherrill said she contacted ICE, but Kim and Menendez were turned away on Sunday. The pressure now stays on the agency and the facility's operators, with Sherrill publicly continuing to push for closure and Kim urging that the center be shut down immediately.
