New Jersey governor calls to 'turn the temperature down' after clashes outside Delaney Hall immigration detention center

Demonstrations outside Delaney Hall continued Saturday, hours after New Jersey State Police officers clashed with protesters as police set up a perimeter outside of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement detainment center at the order of Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

Sherrill told reporters Saturday that six people were arrested during the incident, where tear gas was used and some officers were on horses to disperse the crowd.

The governor defended her decision to bring in state law enforcement to the scene.

She called on protesters, who have been challenging the allegedly poor conditions at the Newark detainment center, to "turn the temperature down," and not give ICE a reason to "exacerbate the situation," citing incidents in other cities such as Minneapolis.

"I refuse to let that happen in New Jersey. I will not give ICE a pretext to expand operations at Delaney Hall or across our state. I will not put lives at risk," she said at a news conference.

During Saturday morning's demonstrations, a handful of pro-ICE demonstrators arrived and called out.

A pro-ICE crowd, which was dwarfed by the Delaney Hall protesters, arrived with signs, American flags and other paraphernalia supporting the federal agency and its immigration enforcement crackdown.

The larger group has been protesting outside the facility since May 22, calling out the alleged poor conditions inside Delaney Hall.

Activists and Democratic leaders have alleged that the 300 inmates inside the ICE facility are not being properly fed, not receiving medical care and are living in poorly maintained quarters.

The Department of Homeland Security has denied the allegations along with reports that detainees are staging a hunger strike in protest.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has repeatedly condemned the protests.

"Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Law and order will prevail," he said in an X post Friday.

Protesters have been clashing with masked ICE agents outside of the facility since last week. Some of the federal agents used tear gas and batons in their confrontations with protesters.

Sherrill ordered the state police to set up the perimeter Friday night due to the increased ICE surge outside the facility, saying it was "a threat to public safety."

As police erected protest barriers, ICE agents moved inside the building's perimeter fence.

New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz told New York City ABC station WABC that ICE officers agreed to stand down with state police assuming responsibility.

However, tensions escalated between the protesters and state officers, some of whom were wearing riot gear and shields. Tear gas was deployed and protesters were pushed back.

Some of the state police were seen riding horses as they tried to push back the crowd.

Sherrill said that five of the six people arrested Friday night were from outside New Jersey and she alleged that outside agitators were in the crowds.

During Saturday's demonstrations, men wearing clothing with the Proud Boys logo were seen in the pro-ICE protest group.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement Saturday that most demonstrators complied with an order Friday night to let vehicles through, though she alleged a "limited number did not comply with repeated requests to clear a safe passage for the vehicles."

Davenport further alleged that some protesters "took dangerous actions, including deploying fireworks and throwing gas canisters at law enforcement, that put everyone in harm's way."

The attorney general added that state police did not fire any rubber bullets or use batons during the Friday incident.

Some protesters decried the actions by the officers.

Rachel Cohen, one of the protesters who was at the site Friday, told WABC that she was worried that demonstrators were being silenced.

"It is not helpful to quell protest for the sake of a false peace," she said. "There is no peace while we are torturing our neighbors on government dime inside this facility."

The incident was the latest heated clash between Delaney Hall protesters and law enforcement.

Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey was tear-gassed on Monday as he tried to de-escalate the situation. DHS Secretary Mullin told reporters Wednesday that Kim "probably shouldn't have been there."

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche alleged Friday that someone protesting at Delaney Hall bit a federal officer.

At least eight people have been arrested by ICE since the protests started.

Robert Frazer, the U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey, said Saturday that Brendan John Geier, 26, of Madison, New Jersey, was charged with kicking a federal officer and biting two others during a confrontation at Delaney Hall Thursday.

Geier was released and prohibited from returning to Delaney Hall, according to Frazer. Attorney information for Geier was not immediately available.

While Kim and other Democratic leaders have visited the facility and said they saw the poor conditions firsthand, Sherrill said she has been denied access inside.

Sherrill urged protesters to remain peaceful and continue to speak out against the alleged conditions in the detention center.

She also continued her calls on the federal government to allow detainees' families to have visitation rights and have state health inspectors conduct a full report.

"I'm going to work with federal delegation to get answers," she said.