A coalition opposing ICE saw their tent outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in New Jersey raided by federal agents on Monday. This incident revealed various supplies that activists had been storing amid escalating tensions in the area.
Photos capture a variety of items, including cases of Spindrift seltzers, puzzles, games, stuffed animals, books, and signs scattered throughout the Eyes of Ice mutual aid tent located outside the Newark Detention Center.
A folding table held a planter with drooping flowers. Other boxes contained hand warmers, blankets, and unused posters featuring Catholic themes and the Virgin Mary.
Kathy O’Leary, president of the coalition, mentioned that they are among the few organizations assisting families in contacting detainees, especially as jails tightened visitation rules following deadly protests.
She noted that families often visit their volunteer tents to receive meals and connect with lawyers and social workers, but she struggled to reach the tent herself due to police blocking the street to foot traffic.
“The facility has never given families clear and complete information about how things function,” she remarked, expressing skepticism about the effectiveness of police escorts for visitors.
“People just won’t want to do it. They’ll be unhappy with that idea.”
It remains unclear why the tent was targeted in this raid. The Post reached out to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for clarification.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, immigrant detention centers experienced significant unrest after Democratic leaders, including New Jersey’s Governor Mikie Sherrill, raised alarms about poor conditions and inadequate visiting hours.
A group of aggressive anti-ICE protesters, many disguised with gas masks and keffiyeh scarves, clashed with federal agents and triggered ten days of ongoing protests.
The demonstrations were ignited by what the detainees termed a hunger strike against the substandard living conditions in the facility, which houses around 1,000 individuals.
The Trump administration countered claims by asserting that living standards at Delaney Hall were superior to those in most U.S. prisons.
In response to the ongoing situation, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka instituted a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the area surrounding the detention center until further notice.
Residents and protesters violating this curfew will receive a warning initially, but could face legal repercussions if they don’t comply, Baraka stated.
As the unrest continues, it was claimed that officials had traded a promise to restore visitation rights—a key concern that sparked the hunger strike—yet the protests remained unyielding.
Despite proclaiming an early victory, the protests didn’t diminish, resulting in at least 20 arrests outside Delaney Hall on Sunday. One individual was charged with threatening to kill an ICE officer and their family.
