New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced on Friday afternoon that New Jersey state police will establish a “peaceful protest zone” outside the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark, where protesters and federal officers have repeatedly clashed this week.
”We all need to do everything we can to cool things down now,” Sherrill said at a press conference announcing the plan. “I will not give ICE the pretext to expand operations in our state.”
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said, “Our state police will be taking public safety operations over from ICE outside Delaney Hall this afternoon.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who has criticized Sherrill for not doing more to rein in protesters, welcomed the move, calling it a "win for law and order."
He added in a statement, "After days of Governor Sherrill REFUSING to allow State Police to assist ICE law enforcement against violent anti-ICE rioters, she is now allowing the New Jersey State Police to cooperate with us. Thank you, Governor."
But state officials made clear their goal was for ICE to no longer be involved in security operations outside Delaney Hall. The governor said,“ We really feel like adding ICE to this situation has made things less safe.” Sherrill added, “ Right now, we are working to, make sure we get ICE out of the situation.”
State and local police had largely remained apart from the chaotic scene at Delaney Hall, until Thursday night. State police began directing traffic around Delaney Hall, in an effort to protect protesters, officials said, after an incident Wednesday in which one was struck by a vehicle.
New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz said “checkpoints” will be established going into Delaney Hall, as well as large protest zones, encircled by 600 yards of bicycle racks. Sherrill added that areas would also be set up for pro-ICE protesters as well, in expectation of a rally in support of the agency on Saturday morning.
Questions abounded on Friday afternoon about the logistics of the state police’s plan.
Some local immigrant advocates worried that under the new rules, they would not be able to continue providing food, water, and assistance to families of detainees, as they’ve done for months from under a white tent erected outside the facility. Another tent offers medical assistance to protesters injured in clashes with ICE officers.
“We just want to know what that means – like what do they mean when they say they’re trying to create safe protest zones?” Catalina Adorno, an organizer with the New Jersey branch of the immigrant labor advocacy group Cosecha, said in an interview.
Mullin has repeatedly chastised Sherrill in social media posts and threatened to pull Customs and Border Protection agents who process passengers at Newark airport and from other so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions. Sherrill, at her Friday afternoon briefing, called the threats “just ridiculous” and renewed her calls to shut down Delaney Hall.
State health officials attempted on Thursday to inspect the entire facility but were only allowed access to a “limited part,” Sherrill has previously said. On Friday afternoon, she added that her office has reached out to ICE officials to grant greater access.
This story has been updated with additional comment.
