ICE Detainees At NJ Prison Launch Hunger Strike, Refuse To Work
Detainees are getting desperate inside Delaney Hall, immigration advocates say – here's why.
Eric Kiefer,
Posted Sat, May 23, 2026 at 12:02 pm ET
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Updated Sat, May 23, 2026 at 1:57 pm ET
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — They aren’t striking for “better treatment” – they are doing it to demand their freedom. That was the explanation from hundreds of federal immigration detainees at a prison in New Jersey as they launched a hunger and labor strike that continues through the Memorial Day weekend.
The 1,000-bed prison at Delaney Hall in Newark is the first federal detention center to open under the second term of President Donald Trump, who has claimed that a nationwide crackdown is needed to push back against a “large-scale invasion” of illegal immigration.
Delaney Hall has seen a wave of controversy since then, including allegations of poor treatment of detainees and visitors, several arrests involving demonstrators, federal charges against the city’s mayor and a U.S. congresswoman, a high-profile prison escape, and a detainee who died in federal custody.
Its owner, the GEO Group, is one of the largest private prison companies in the nation.
On Friday, families of people detained at Delaney Hall in Newark rallied outside the privately run jail, alleging that prisoners are facing “dangerous conditions” such as medical neglect, no air conditioning during a heat wave and “rotten and spoiled meals.”
https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/ice-detainees-nj-prison-launch-hunger-strike-refuse-work
