Federal authorities have arrested at least two protesters outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said late Tuesday.
The two individuals, whom Mullin called “anti-ICE rioters,” were arrested on charges of assaulting, resisting, and impeding federal officers outside Delaney Hall. The secretary said they “sprayed law enforcement with an unknown chemical substance.”
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“Assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and felony,” Mullin warned. “Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
DHS released a statement on the arrests Wednesday morning.
The arrests came on the fifth night of a reported hunger and labor strike at the New Jersey immigration detention center. The Department of Homeland Security disputes the existence of the strike itself and denies allegations about the detainees’ poor treatment inside the facility.
“ALL detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, toiletries, and opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” DHS said on Tuesday.
“Aliens are also provided comprehensive healthcare, including medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the department added. “For many illegal aliens this is the BEST healthcare they have received their entire lives.”
Tensions between anti-ICE protesters and federal law enforcement are growing more tense, resulting in physical clashes captured on video. ICE officers are deploying pepper spray to keep the crowd in check. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) was among those pepper-sprayed this week.
Kim and other Democratic members of Congress gathered outside Delaney Hall on Memorial Day after they were denied entry to conduct an oversight visit. Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) was also denied access to the facility on Monday.
“My request to access the facility was denied this morning, raising even more questions about what they are trying to hide from public view,” Sherrill posted on X. “I’ll keep fighting for answers and to hold ICE accountable.”
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was also among the defiant lawmakers in attendance. She has been especially vocal about the alleged inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall ever since a May 2025 confrontation at the ICE detention center that resulted in federal charges against her. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from her altercation with officers.
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McIver is hosting a “Know Your Rights” workshop in her congressional district on Thursday to educate immigrants on how to interact with immigration enforcement.
“ICE has targeted our community since the beginning of Trump 2.0, and every single day we have been standing up and fighting back,” she wrote on social media. “I want to make sure you have the tools to do so safely.”
