(Headline USA) More than 80 anti-ICE demonstrators have been arrested following a series of protests at Delaney Hall in Newark, where demonstrators say they are showing up in solidarity with detainees.
The protesters, some wearing gas masks and helmets, have used traffic cones, trash cans and other items as makeshift shields, and they tried to block vehicles from entering or leaving the facility.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche shared images online of bloody wounds and bruises sustained by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Videos on social media show officers in riot gear deploying tear gas and using batons to beat back the demonstrators. Some videos have shown police on horseback marching into the crowds.
On Friday night, ICE officers arrested four on charges of assaulting law enforcement officers, obstruction and threats, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X. Newark police, meanwhile, said they a Seattle man was charged with criminal mischief for smashing car windows.
If you riot, you will be ARRESTED.
We will NOT be deterred by these violent rioters. pic.twitter.com/ts9LTFm2VK
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 6, 2026
“No one has the right to come into our city, destroy personal property, or incite violence,” Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda posted on social media. “Think twice before coming to Newark with any other agenda than to protest peacefully.”
One law enforcement official was charged with stealing $10,000 worth of camera equipment from an Associated Press photojournalist who had been injured while covering the standoff. The journalist, Angelina Katsanis, was struck in the knee by a wood beam during a clash between police and demonstrators. She sought medical attention and used a geo-tracking device to trace her missing gear to his home, the state’s attorney general said Thursday.
Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill was initially reluctant to intervene in the growing protests. But as the violence intensified, she declared the situation had “grown unsafe” and “unacceptable” and called in the state police to restore order.
State troopers set up designated protest zones and vehicle checkpoints as ICE officers who had been stationed in front of the detention center agreed to stand down.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, meanwhile, imposed a 9 p.m. curfew and sent in city police to enforce it.
But just a week later, the Democrat said the city would scale back its police presence, saying arrests had dropped and he was reluctant to continue spending tax dollars to guard a privately owned facility.
The state’s attorney general filed a lawsuit this week against Geo Group, alleging that the facility denied state health inspectors “full access” to investigate allegations.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
