General Discussion

By David Wildstein, May 25 2026 6:48 pm

U.S. Senator Andy Kim was pepper sprayed by ICE agents outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center on Memorial Day during chaotic clashes between protesters and federal agents outside the complex, and Gov. Mikie Sherrill was denied access to the facility.

The confrontation erupted after demonstrators gathered in support of detainees engaged in a hunger strike over alleged medical neglect and living conditions inside Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed immigration privately-run detention facility that currently houses about 300 people.

Kim said he had difficulty breathing after federal agents deployed pepper spray into the crowd, as protesters alleged officers also used batons to disperse demonstrators blocking entrances to the facility. His state director, Paul Stuart Aronsohn, was also pepper sprayed

By Monday afternoon, Sherrill arrived at the facility alongside members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, including Reps. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City), Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon), LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), and Analilia Mejia (D-Glen Ridge), as well as Newark officials and immigration advocates. Federal officials denied the governor entry.

“My request for access to Delaney Hall was formally denied this morning, raising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view,” Sherrill stated ...

https://newjerseyglobe.com/immigration/kim-pepper-sprayed-sherrill-denied-access-at-delaney-hall/