New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rejected her request to enter its Delaney Hall facility in Newark over Memorial Day weekend as protests continue outside the building.
The conflict has gained national attention as it deals with claims of poor living conditions for illegal aliens housed in ICE facilities, an issue Democrats have used to push back against the Trump administration's immigration policies.
In her statement, Gov. Sherrill said she is “deeply disturbed by reports of the poor conditions at Delaney Hall” and that “unconstitutional living conditions are completely unacceptable.”
The governor further explained that she has “long opposed private detention facilities and advocated against them” and she will “continue to call for the closure of Delaney Hall because of reports like these.”
She also said she would continue trying to gain entry into the facility but that “this really brings to light why the state has been fighting so hard, because this type of facility shows exactly why we should not have private mass detention facilities.”
I’m deeply disturbed by reports of the poor conditions at Delaney Hall. Unsafe, inhumane, and unconstitutional living conditions are completely unacceptable.
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) May 24, 2026
I have long opposed private detention facilities and advocated against them. I will continue to call for the closure of…
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that during the most recent demonstrations, protesters tried to prevent an ICE vehicle from transferring a detainee and struck it with objects. ICE removed 70 protesters as they moved the detainee to another facility. “Visitation has been suspended out of an abundance of caution to ensure the continued safety of staff, detainees, and visitors,” DHS explained.
A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that the governor’s visit was “nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside in the facility.”
PATHETIC: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) showed up at the Newark ICE detention facility at Delaney Hall for a clear political stunt amid ongoing riots.
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) May 26, 2026
Sen. Kim was allowed entry and toured the facility before later being pepper-sprayed as he joined… pic.twitter.com/3xhSVHGreR
Sherrill was not alone when she tried to enter the building. She was accompanied by Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Nellie Pou, and LaMonica McIver. The politicians met with protesters outside the facility after violent clashes that occurred on Sunday.
Sen. Kim said the protesters “raised big problems when it comes to getting medical treatment, the food being inedible, water problems.”
JUST IN: New Jersey Go. Mikie Sherrill (D) just got BLOCKED by DHS from entering the ICE facility in Newark
— Sergeant News Network (@sgtnewsnetwork) May 25, 2026
She tried pulling a Memorial Day STUNT and she got absolutely nowhere. PATHETIC! 🤡@DHS: "Governor Sherrill's visit to Delaney Hall is nothing more than a political… pic.twitter.com/UuJc7LbUQd
Hundreds of illegal aliens are currently being held in Delaney Hall, which has become a flashpoint in the immigration debate.
This is not the only facility that has faced protests and allegations of substandard living conditions for detainees. DHS announced new limits on visits by lawmakers to ICE detention sites last year, which prompted critics to accuse them of trying to hamper any type of oversight.
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