{"id":3961,"date":"2026-05-28T21:39:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T21:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/28\/we-wont-stop-until-theyre-free-protesters-outside-a-new-jersey-ice-facility-in-their-own-words\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T21:39:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T21:39:58","slug":"we-wont-stop-until-theyre-free-protesters-outside-a-new-jersey-ice-facility-in-their-own-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=3961","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We won\u2019t stop until they\u2019re free\u2019: protesters outside a New Jersey ICE facility in their own words"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"910a122b-4474-404d-ab37-63f5cbc37633\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A group of people wearing masks embrace and shield their faces on a street\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b8b57583e29ca5124e8dac65ae472f243c469d27\/0_0_3000_2000\/master\/3000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A group of protesters retreats after federal agents sprayed them with a chemical agent outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center, where detainees are engaged in a hunger and labor strike in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 May.<\/span> Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"910a122b-4474-404d-ab37-63f5cbc37633\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A group of protesters retreats after federal agents sprayed them with a chemical agent outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center, where detainees are engaged in a hunger and labor strike in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 May.<\/span> Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">\u2018We won\u2019t stop until they\u2019re free\u2019: protesters outside a New Jersey ICE facility in their own words<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-b3fmmo\">\n<p>Organizers rally outside Delaney Hall, facing violent clashes with agents, as over 300 detainees are on hunger strike<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/gallery\/2026\/may\/27\/new-jersey-immigration-detention-pictures\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Chaos breaks out at New Jersey immigration detention center \u2013 in pictures<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">W<\/span>ednesday marked the sixth day that more than 300 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ICE<\/a>) detainees were on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/27\/new-jersey-ice-immigration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hunger and labor strike<\/a> at Delaney Hall in Newark, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/new-jersey\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">New Jersey<\/a>. Meanwhile, the mood amid the dozens of organizers and community members rallying outside the facility was tense but energized with support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Masked protesters circulated, handing out water bottles, personal protective equipment and oranges. A few attenders who travel across the country to ICE protests wherever they occur \u2013 such as a man with a karaoke machine in a giraffe costume \u2013 trolled the ICE agents, successfully getting a giggle out of one of the few agents with his face exposed. Passing tractor-trailers on the busy industrial road punctuated protest chants with long, extended honking in solidarity.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5e4984fd-171a-4a06-bd9f-985e61d36645\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-2 | 2\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ak3j0c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/27\/new-jersey-ice-immigration\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">\u2018We are not criminals\u2019: protests erupt as hunger strike rocks New Jersey ICE jail<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Around 9.40pm, detainees sent out a message of recognition, a reminder that they were separated by about 40ft and walls: a light flashed on and off from inside the top-floor window of Delaney Hall closest to the protesters, who responded with a celebratory roar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Shortly after, things turned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/25\/new-jersey-ice-immigration-protest\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">violent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Late on Wednesday, supporters attempted to form a human chain to block vans coming in and out of the facility. <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/statuscoupnews.bsky.social\/post\/3mmvijo4dak2q\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Livestreamed footage<\/a> from the outlet Status Coup showed ICE agents <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/statuscoupnews.bsky.social\/post\/3mmv34qgohs2d\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hitting protesters with batons<\/a> \u2013 and steadily, as they had all day, pushing protesters further into oncoming traffic, <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/statuscoupnews.bsky.social\/post\/3mmvcd3ntbs26\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">including<\/a> one protester into a tractor-trailer, getting their foot run over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Durga Sreenivasan, a protester who organizes with Hands Off NYC, says she was hit with a baton, and that ICE agents sprayed chemicals. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecMullinDHS\/status\/2060030792433115461\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">According to<\/a> the DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, six protesters were arrested.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"b2ddc5cd-97dc-4362-80d4-f394ce039dd1\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"people locking arms\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/1df9499668d95cd2b9f6b26c815ef2af7985a5b8\/0_0_3000_2000\/master\/3000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"b2ddc5cd-97dc-4362-80d4-f394ce039dd1\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Protesters lock arms outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center, where detainees are engaged in a hunger and labor strike in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 May.<\/span> Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere were some elderly ladies there, and a lot of young people,\u201d said Sreenivasan. \u201cSome of these chemicals can affect us for the rest of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">While people have been organizing outside Delaney Hall for months, this week\u2019s demonstrations sprung up in response to ICE transferring a key leader of the strike, Mart\u00edn Soto, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2026\/5\/27\/delaney_hall\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">to another facility<\/a>. Since then, ICE agents have sprayed protesters with chemicals and shot pepper balls. The Democratic senator Andy Kim reportedly getting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/senator-pepper-sprayed-ice-facility-protest-new-jersey\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">pepper-sprayed<\/a> after visiting the facility on Monday with Mikie Sherrill, the New Jersey governor, who was denied entry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Thursday afternoon, allegations also emerged of ICE beating and using pepper spray on detainees. Kim <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/kim.senate.gov\/post\/3mmwrfi6kwc2o\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">condemned<\/a> ICE and Geo Group, stating that his office had received multiple calls regarding the allegations, and called for the immediate closure of \u201cthis broken facility\u201d. Sherrill also joined demands that the facility close, after the state department of health <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/gregsargent.bsky.social\/post\/3mmwotxgask23\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was denied<\/a> full access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">With their hunger strike, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidernj.com\/press-release\/detained-immigrants-continue-labor-and-hunger-strike-at-delaney-hall\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">detainees<\/a> have made four demands: an in-person meeting with Sherrill, the \u201cimmediate release of all prisoners\u201d, the quick adjudication of their immigration cases and an end to alleged internal pressure from ICE agents to self-deport. Detainees in <a href=\"https:\/\/lataco.com\/huger-strike-dhs-detention\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">at least five ICE facilities<\/a> are undertaking active hunger strikes, according to the independent outlet LA Taco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a letter earlier this week, detainees say that Geo Group \u2013 which, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/analysis-opinion\/private-prison-companies-enormous-windfall-who-stands-gain-ice-expands\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">ICE\u2019s biggest contractor<\/a>, runs Delaney and <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7378284\/ice-immigration-detention-contractors-record-revenue\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">at least 18 other<\/a> facilities \u2013 \u201cfails to meet the basic conditions necessary to protect our health and our lives.\u201d Following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/delaney-hall-protests-ice-facility-newark-nj\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a visit<\/a> inside the facility, members of Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/whyy.org\/articles\/new-jersey-newark-ice-detention-center-protest\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">described<\/a> poor conditions: cancer patients being given Tylenol and food that \u201cvery often\u201d contained maggots. Detainees in Geo Group-run facilities are <a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.org\/2026\/05\/28\/delaney-hall-ice-detainees-take-aim-at-geo-groups-bottom-line\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">forced to work in the facility<\/a> for $1 a day or sometimes no pay. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.njspotlightnews.org\/2026\/05\/delaney-hall-protests-intensify-as-advocates-allege-detainees-cut-off-from-families\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">According to attorneys<\/a>, detainees have been denied visitation rights and access to commissary and video calls to the outside.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"3cdf1827-8d04-4a60-9724-3e8f0d98fa8d\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-14 | 14\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ak3j0c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/28\/trump-doj-lawsuit-ice-undercover-license-plates\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Trump\u2019s DoJ sues four states for denying ICE agents undercover license plates<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Mullin, the DHS secretary, has consistently denied the conditions and the hunger strike, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/2059981958248116519\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">saying<\/a> on Fox News on Thursday: \u201cNot only are we providing them a safe place to stay, and food, and a place to sleep, but we\u2019re also giving them a convenience store to buy products out of. So we\u2019re going above and beyond. The fact is this is political theater.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thestranger.com\/news\/ice-retaliates-against-hunger-strikers-at-nwdc\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Geo Group facility<\/a> in Washington state, detainee Rogelio Enrique Boluf\u00e9 Izquierdo, the founder of Uni\u00f3n de Secuestrados por ICE (or Union of those Kidnapped by ICE) who helped organize a hunger strike at the facility, has been moved to an unknown location, according to the Stranger. Advocates say detainees like Izquierdo and Soto are being moved in retaliation for organizing the strikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Thursday, organizers were still calling for people to join the protests at Delaney Hall to support the detainees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe need to keep remembering that the fight is about those on the inside,\u201d said Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, the executive director of El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City. \u201cSo as long as we keep doing that, we encourage everyone to keep coming, to make sure we\u2019re highlighting the atrocities, the abuses that these ICE agents are committing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Guardian talked to organizers and advocates outside of Delaney Hall on Wednesday about why the protest was important.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"cristian-moreno-rodriguez-executive-director-of-el-pueblo-unido-of-atlantic-city\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, executive director of El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">First and foremost, we want to center the demands of those on strike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">We are here fighting for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY1FKaOA1LV\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Nicol\u00e1s<\/a> and his family. Nicol\u00e1s was one of our team members who was detained unlawfully in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/oct\/28\/supreme-court-ice-racial-profiling-citizens\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Kavanaugh stop<\/a> in Hammonton, New Jersey, a couple weeks back. He\u2019s been in Delaney Hall for the last several weeks. He is in the same unit where the overwhelming majority of folks are on hunger and labor strike. Nicol\u00e1s hasn\u2019t eaten since Friday.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"98538193-83f5-457f-a7fd-7040534fe081\" data-spacefinder-role=\"supporting\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-a2pvoh\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a man in a black \u2018ICE out of new jersey\u2019 T-shirt holds up a fist while standing outside at protest\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/631868e0b43e91f0622f0599a4b9aef633666b51\/0_1421_4284_4284\/master\/4284.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"445\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"98538193-83f5-457f-a7fd-7040534fe081\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1sv232j\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-9ktzqp\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez: \u2018There\u2019s so much solidarity.\u2019<\/span> Photograph: Lex McMenamin\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">We\u2019re here to show statewide solidarity. We drove from two and a half hours away. This is our fourth night here, back to back to back. And we\u2019re here to hold the line to make sure that those inside are not forgotten, to make sure that we\u2019re fighting for the dignity and justice of them all. We won\u2019t stop until they\u2019re free.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">There are moments of intense trauma, brutalization, from the abuses that these ICE agents are committing. They\u2019re recklessly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/oct\/04\/ice-chicago-extreme-force-protesters-journalists\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">pepper-spraying<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/26\/senator-pepper-sprayed-ice-facility-protest-new-jersey\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">protesters<\/a>, they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/25\/new-jersey-ice-immigration-protest\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">batoning<\/a> us. But even through all the pain, something that they can never take away from us is the love and courage that we have for each other. There\u2019s so much solidarity, whether we\u2019re locking arms, whether we\u2019re receiving a community member who\u2019s been recently released. One thing they can\u2019t deny is that we\u2019re unified and that the whole state is coming together to organize at Delaney Hall in support of those on strike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">El Pueblo Unido comes about once a week to do accompaniment [where a volunteer accompanies an immigrant to court or other places where they may come in contact with the authorities] from Atlantic City all the way up to Delaney Hall. We were here for an accompaniment trip on Sunday when things escalated with all the attacks, when we tried to stop the van so that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2026\/5\/27\/delaney_hall\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Soto<\/a> wasn\u2019t transferred.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">At this moment in time, it\u2019s those on the inside who are carrying the fight, and we\u2019re just supporting their fight on the inside, outside.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"jasmine-johnson-executive-director-of-fight-against-fascism-organization-part-of-march-4-democracy\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Jasmine Johnson, executive director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fightagainstfascism.org\/\" style=\"color:inherit\">Fight Against Fascism Organization<\/a>, part of <a href=\"https:\/\/march4democracy.org\/march\/\" style=\"color:inherit\">March 4 Democracy<\/a><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"4a0088ba-140f-46f7-9e77-7923b4fa833a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"supporting\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-a2pvoh\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a woman in white T-shirt saying \u2018radical left scum\u2019 smiles outside\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/027f6bb4c1796fd9f747a10b3cdac2de7cdfcfbe\/0_995_4284_4284\/master\/4284.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"445\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"4a0088ba-140f-46f7-9e77-7923b4fa833a\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1sv232j\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-9ktzqp\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Jasmine Johnson: \u2018It\u2019s time for us to come together.\u2019<\/span> Photograph: Lex McMenamin\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I was up here on a humanitarian mission, to drop off some much-needed medical supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I\u2019m about two hours south of Delaney Hall, so it\u2019s not a huge trip, but my husband and I felt it was urgent to come up here and contribute.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Honestly, seeing this [crowd] is actually making me feel great, in the sense that we know that there\u2019s so many of us who are on the right side. It just begs the question, what holds the rest of them? What is gonna be enough for you? What does it take for the rest of you to realize that this is eventually going to come for you too?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I don\u2019t think that we\u2019re ever going to get what we need from this current administration or the government as it\u2019s currently structured. So it\u2019s time for us to come together. I would just like to get back to where neighbors can actually knock on your fucking door and not worry about getting shot.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"maral-sahebjame-board-member-with-resistencia-en-accion-new-jersey-an-immigrant-and-workers-rights-advocacy-organization\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Maral Sahebjame, board member with Resistencia en Acci\u00f3n New Jersey, an immigrant and workers\u2019 rights advocacy organization<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The detainees\u2019 demands are not better conditions for the inside \u2013 they want their freedom.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"fef8dc9c-f2ce-4b9f-9745-6a083b7245bf\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-36 | 36\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ak3j0c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/25\/new-jersey-ice-immigration-protest\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Protesters clash with ICE agents outside New Jersey detention center <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I teach a course on human rights law. In my unit on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2006\/aug\/30\/comment.hurricanekatrina\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">disaster capitalism<\/a>, we spoke about the privatization of prisons by states handing giant contracts to private companies like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/121226\/private-prison-companies-gain-ice-expands\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Geo Group and Core Civic,<\/a> which own a significant portion of the detention facilities throughout the country. The <a href=\"https:\/\/laist.com\/brief\/news\/immigrants-launch-hunger-strike-adelanto-detention-center\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">detention center<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/21\/everlee-wihongi-new-zealand-woman-ice-us-detention\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Adelanto<\/a>, California, is owned by Geo Group, and there, detainees have been on hunger strike for over 10 days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">[These companies] run on a lot of the labor of the detainees, which makes it a highly profitable industry \u2013 private prison investment. And I think that\u2019s something that we have to recognize when we think about, does our law enforcement serve us? Absolutely not, because it\u2019s actually being driven by investors and shareholders of these companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The privatization has, I think, escalated the barbarity and the indecent and inhumane treatment of detainees.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"kylie-no-heart-noir-protester-from-the-muskogee-and-yuchi-nations-of-oklahoma\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\">Kylie No Heart Noir, protester from the Muskogee and Yuchi Nations of Oklahoma<\/h2>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I came to witness, stay silent and to watch what\u2019s going on, to see what kind of support is really being given, and what\u2019s really needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Coming from a reservation in Oklahoma, we know what the federal government can do. We have been at war with them for a very long time. This is our land. I don\u2019t think any Indigenous people have a problem with the immigrants that are coming and wanting to stay, because as long as you respect the Earth and the people, you shouldn\u2019t be a problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The value of coming here is you get a perspective on something that people are gonna talk about for 30, 40 years. History repeats itself in various ways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/ice-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/building-power\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Building power<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/protests--us-\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Protest (US)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/new-jersey\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">New Jersey<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/usimmigration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98We%20won%E2%80%99t%20stop%20until%20they%E2%80%99re%20free%E2%80%99:%20protesters%20outside%20a%20New%20Jersey%20ICE%20facility%20in%20their%20own%20words&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/28\/new-jersey-ice-protesters?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F28%2Fnew-jersey-ice-protesters&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/28\/new-jersey-ice-protesters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of protesters retreats after federal agents sprayed them with a chemical agent outside Delaney Hall, an<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}