{"id":1349,"date":"2026-05-27T20:06:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1349"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:06:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:06:41","slug":"congress-members-visit-nj-detention-center-where-advocates-say-immigrants-are-on-a-hunger-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1349","title":{"rendered":"Congress members visit NJ detention center where advocates say immigrants are on a hunger strike"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>NEWARK, N.J. (AP) \u2014 Democratic members of Congress visited a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey on Wednesday, where protesters have been demonstrating in recent days and asserting that detainees are on a hunger strike.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1347\">Two survivors left at sea after US attacks boat in Pacific<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a Manhattan Democrat, said after touring Delaney Hall in Newark that detainees were refusing to eat over what he described as \u201cinhumane\u201d conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe will shut this center down. We will shut it down,\u201d he vowed after the roughly hourlong visit.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>U.S. Reps. Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman, also Manhattan Democrats, later spoke with protesters and family members of detainees demonstrating outside the facility\u2019s security gate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe want to make sure the conditions here are going to be dealt with,\u201d said Goldman, shortly before the two lawmakers entered the facility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>More than 50 people held signs saying \u201cStop Family Separation\u201d and chanted \u201cFree Them All\u201d and other slogans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some shouted directly at the armed and helmet-wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers standing outside, calling them \u201ccowards\u201d and \u201cidiots.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The protests began Friday and have been tense at times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Monday, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was pepper-sprayed as he and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill led a delegation of Democratic officials who tried to visit detainees but were denied entry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cInstead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire,\u201d Kim posted on social media after Monday\u2019s clashes. \u201cCivilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall today. Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help. Instead of engaging with me and others about the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/5XSeZWzoky<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1345\">Trump\u2019s latest immigration move clouds the path to green cards<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Senator Andy Kim (@SenatorAndyKim) May 26, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Gabriela Soto said Wednesday that her husband was among the detainees who participated in the hunger strike before he was transferred to another facility.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cAt first it was just 300. Then it became a little bit more. Now, every single detainee inside there is participating. Every single one,\u201d she said, wearing a black shirt that said \u201cAbolish ICE.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said his organization has heard \u201chorror stories\u201d of detainees, including pregnant women, not getting the proper medical treatment for their health conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cCruelty is the point,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>ICE representatives have not responded to an email seeking comment Wednesday, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the agency, has denied any hunger strike, abuse or poor conditions inside the center and dismissed the criticisms as political posturing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe fact is, we\u2019re giving them the calories they want,\u201d Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Wednesday of detainees at Delaney Hall. \u201cThis isn\u2019t Holiday Inn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>President Donald Trump also defended the detention center.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe run the finest facilities anywhere in the world \u2014 of their type \u2014 but we have some horrible killers,\u201d he said Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Located along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay and run by a private prison company, Delaney Hall has been a frequent flashpoint of protests and clashes between immigrant rights advocates and immigration enforcement officials.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, were among those arrested during protests when the 1,000-bed facility opened last May.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><i>Marcelo reported from New York. Associated Press photographer Seth Wenig in Newark contributed to this story.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1343\">What to know about Ken Paxton and his scandal-ridden tenure as Texas attorney general<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Protests began Friday at Delaney Hall and have been tense. Senator Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was pepper balled during a protest on Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Congress members visit NJ detention center where advocates say immigrants are on a hunger strike - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1349\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Congress members visit NJ detention center where advocates say immigrants are on a hunger strike - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Protests began Friday at Delaney Hall and have been tense. 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