NEW YORK: The mayor of a New Jersey city declared a curfew on Sunday around a migrant detention centre after another night of clashes between police and protesters opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
“To ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, a mandatory curfew for a half-mile area surrounding Delaney Hall is being implemented, effective immediately,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.
Access to the Delaney Hall facility, which is operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will be prohibited from 9pm to 6am until further notice, the mayor said.
The decision followed another night of tensions outside the 1,000-bed privately operated facility, which has been the focus of protests for several days. After a day of largely peaceful demonstrations on Saturday, including a counter-protest in support of ICE, some protesters attempted to breach a police barricade, prompting police to use tear gas. Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey’s Democratic governor, condemned the violence.
New Jersey governor blames out-of-state agitators for inflaming Newark riots
“I don’t know why these individuals attacked or what they are trying to do, but I refuse to let these dangerous acts undermine New Jersey’s commitment to public safety,” Sherrill said on X.
On Friday, authorities sought to ease tensions by transferring security responsibilities from ICE to state police and setting up designated protest areas. The measures, however, failed to prevent further nighttime clashes.
The protests were triggered by a hunger and work strike launched by detainees at Delaney Hall over their living conditions. The strike has drawn support from a number of Democratic lawmakers.
‘Extremist groups’ blamed
Out-of-state agitators have escalated tensions at protests outside a Newark immigrant detention centre, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said, as the city imposed an overnight curfew around the embattled Delaney Hall facility.
Sherrill, who had ordered state police to take control outside the facility, said five of six arrested were from out of state, and that “national extremist groups” had joined Saturday’s protests, heightening tensions in the city.
“You should not be here,” she said of those who came to create chaos. “You are not helping the people detained at Delaney Hall. You’re not helping detainee families and you’re certainly not keeping New Jersey safe.”
“Beginning at 12am, Doremus Avenue will be closed to all pedestrian traffic. Vehicle access will be strictly limited to those with verified official business in the area. This curfew will remain in effect nightly from 9pm. to 6 a.m. until further notice,” he said Sunday in a post on X.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2026