Gov. Sherrill urges ‘aggressive and dangerous’ protesters to calm down amid Delaney Hall chaos
After another night of unrest outside Delaney Hall Saturday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued a statement early Sunday morning again urging “aggressive and dangerous” protesters to “bring the temperature down” outside the Newark detention center.
“Tonight, masked individuals at Delaney Hall attacked the barrier in the protected protest area and began aggressive and dangerous actions against Newark and New Jersey State Police (NJSP), including throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street,” Sherrill said in the statement. “These actions put both peaceful protestors and law enforcement in danger. The police were not in protective gear; they had been on location since early in the morning ensuring protestors and counter protestors had areas to exercise their rights safely. As these dangerous actions took place, additional support was needed to protect civilians and law enforcement.”
READ MORE: Emergency curfew around Delaney Hall enacted by Newark mayor after more violent clashes
Protesters clashed with the New Jersey State Police outside the federal immigration detention center again Saturday night, pushing against barriers and shouting at troopers, who sprayed gas while responding in riot gear.
Tensions had been high outside Delaney Hall in Newark all day as both anti-ICE and pro-ICE groups gathered in designated areas. The crowd swelled to more than 200 people by 9 p.m.
“My number one priority will always be public safety, and I remain dedicated to protecting constitutional rights. We simply cannot let ICE surge into our community,” Sherrill continued. “I do not know why these individuals attacked or what they wanted to accomplish, but I refuse to let these dangerous actions detract from New Jersey’s dedication to ensuring public safety, keeping people safe from ICE, and that the people detained inside Delaney Hall are treated with dignity.
Police hold the fence line outside Delaney Hall in Newark, NJ on Saturday, May 30, 2026.Dave Hernandez | For NJ.com
“… I once again urge everyone who shares these goals to work together to bring the temperature down,” Sherrill added. “We must focus on advocating for better conditions for the detainees, for their families, and ultimately, for the closure of Delaney Hall, as well as to protect the many peaceful protestors who continue to make this their mission.”
Sherrill’s comments came around the same time Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued an emergency curfew for the area surrounding Delaney Hall, which began Sunday at midnight and will last “until further notice,” according to a statement. The curfew will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the half-mile radius surrounding the center and pedestrian traffic on Doremus Avenue, where the center resides, will be limited.
During Saturday night’s protest, some protesters rushed against a metal barricade and screamed “you’re hurting women” as State Police pushed the barriers back.
Police in gas masks carried riot shields and converged on the crowd shortly before 10 p.m., not long after one demonstrator burned an American flag.
Mounted troopers on horseback followed as police tried to disperse the protesters. Some obeyed troopers’ instructions and yelled for compliance. Others threw rocks and bottles in defiance, as chants, screams and flash-bangs rang out.
A protestor kicks tear gas back towards police outside Delaney Hall in Newark, NJ on Saturday, May 30, 2026.Dave Hernandez | For NJ.com
As of 10:43 p.m., protesters pushed away from the facility were chanting “F— ICE” into the night. And at 10:50, protesters lit a fire in the street outside the detention center.
“Unfortunately, a large group of individuals took aggressive actions at Delaney Hall this evening that required state and local law enforcement to react,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement early Sunday. “Rather than remain within the established area for peaceful protest, these individuals attempted to push forward into the zone designated for law enforcement, attacking the barrier and putting the safety of protestors and law enforcement in jeopardy. As a result, a coalition of state and local law enforcement, including the Newark Police Department and the New Jersey State Police, had to step in to disperse crowds to protect civilians and law enforcement. These individuals have also charged at law enforcement, thrown projectiles at law enforcement, and set a fire on Newark’s streets.”
The conflict follows a week of chaos that began Monday when U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., was pepper-sprayed by ICE agents amid a growing national controversy over conditions there. The highly politicized unrest has now ensnared state troopers sent by Sherrill on Friday to try to keep the peace.
Deploying the State Police was “absolutely necessary,” Sherrill said in a statement earlier Saturday.
“I will not put lives at risk,” she added during an afternoon news conference. “I will not give ICE a pretext to expand operations at Delaney Hall or across our state.”
But the move failed to quell the conflict on the ground and has thrust Sherrill into a political quagmire.
Top state officials blamed out-of-state agitators, such as several arrested on Friday, for the clashes.
“To the people coming from out of state to create chaos and dangerous situations, you should not be here,” Sherrill said Saturday.
The latest conflict comes as detainees are on a hunger strike inside the privately run detention center that President Donald Trump’s administration contracts to house undocumented immigrants.
Detainees decry what they describe as inhumane conditions inside the facility, including poor food quality and a lack of medical care.
But the Trump administration has denied those claims, said protesters are rioting and assaulting officers and accused Democrats of grandstanding to support immigrants who have broken the law.
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Tensions peak as protestors clash with police outside Delaney Hall in Newark, NJ on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
