Nine people were arrested Thursday night as anti-ICE demonstrations outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, escalated into clashes with federal agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said approximately 100 protesters gathered around the immigration detention facility as demonstrations continued for a sixth night.
Federal officials said some protesters assaulted ICE agents during the confrontation.
According to DHS, agents were bitten, kicked and punched as they attempted to secure the area around the facility.
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Federal agents responded by pushing back the crowd and using pepper spray as protesters blocked access points near Delaney Hall.
Video and photos from the scene showed demonstrators using umbrellas, masks and other gear as agents moved through the crowd.
Some protesters were later seen washing their eyes after being exposed to pepper spray.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said assaulting or obstructing ICE agents is a crime and warned that anyone who attacks law enforcement will be prosecuted.
He said nine people were arrested during the Thursday night clashes.
The unrest comes after several days of protests over conditions inside Delaney Hall, a privately operated immigration detention center.
Activists and some Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about medical care, food, due process and treatment of detainees.
DHS has denied claims that detainees are being mistreated.
The department said detainees are provided meals, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, toiletries and access to phones to contact family members and lawyers.
DHS has also denied claims of an ongoing hunger strike at the facility.
The demonstrations have drawn attention from Democratic officials, including New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, as well as New York lawmakers Dan Goldman and Jerrold Nadler.
Federal officials have accused some local and state leaders of failing to provide enough law enforcement support during the unrest.
Mullin said local police and state police were contacted multiple times, but federal officials received limited help.
Sherrill has criticized ICE and blamed federal agents for escalating the situation, while describing many demonstrators as peaceful.
The clashes also follow reports that federal authorities are trying to identify individuals accused of making direct threats against ICE agents and their families.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said one person who allegedly threatened an agent’s family committed a federal crime and vowed that authorities would find and arrest him.
The situation outside Delaney Hall has now become a major national flashpoint in the fight over immigration enforcement, detention conditions and sanctuary city policies.
For federal officials, the protests represent obstruction of law enforcement.
For activists and Democratic critics, the demonstrations are a response to concerns about conditions inside the detention center.
With arrests increasing and tensions still high, Delaney Hall is likely to remain a focus of the national immigration debate.
Why It Matters
The Delaney Hall protests have moved beyond routine demonstrations and become a direct confrontation between federal immigration authorities and anti-ICE activists. The arrests, assault allegations and threats against agents raise the stakes for both law enforcement and political leaders in New Jersey.
What Comes Next
Federal authorities are expected to pursue charges against those arrested and continue investigating threats made against ICE agents. Protests may continue outside Delaney Hall, while DHS and New Jersey officials remain locked in a public dispute over enforcement, conditions and police support.
Video from outside Delaney Hall showed protesters blocking vehicles as federal agents moved through the crowd near the Newark detention facility.
BREAKING: Protesters PILE UP to block ICE cars as ICE Agents smash people with batons and rush the crowd as cars drive through Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark NJ pic.twitter.com/pDjCqRiFly
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) May 27, 2026
