NJ State Police and protesters clash outside Delaney Hall
Gov. Mikie Sherrill originally brought state police to prevent tensions from escalating between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and protesters.
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Violence broke out late Friday night outside Delaney Hall in Newark when state police tear gassed protesters.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill originally brought state police to prevent tensions from escalating between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and protesters.
Designated protest zones and checkpoints were set up outside the immigration jail.
Police called the zones First Amendment zones, but many protesters resisted moving into the designated areas.
Video obtained by News 12 shows state police pushing protesters back with riot gear, firing tear gas and officers on horseback moving the crowd off the way.
News 12 Reporter Christine Queally was on the scene late Friday night. She said it all happened very suddenly.
Apparently, there was a dispersal warning 15 minutes before but no one heard it, or at least they didn't.
State police then began to move forward.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport gave an update on the situation on Saturday morning. She claims state police were trying to ensure the safe passage of vehicles that were bringing employees outside of Delaney Hall, and that while most people complied and cleared the passage, some did not.
She said a few of the protesters were throwing fireworks and gas canisters at law enforcement.
In a statement, she said in part, "To ensure the safety of everyone involved, including the overwhelmingly peaceful protestors at the facility, state police temporality cleared the area outside Delaney Hall. We remain committed to protecting everyone's safety and their constitutional right to protest peacefully."
Sherill also weighed in on the chaos that happened late Friday night at Delaney Hall. She called the increased ICE surge at Delaney a threat to public safety. She added that the actions taken by state police were to protect that public safety and to avoid any escalation from ICE. She's asking people to protest peacefully and to work together to bring the temperature down.
A counter protest in support of ICE was planned for Saturday morning.
Protesters and ICE agents have been clashing all week.
The protests started over a week ago after detainees inside launched a hunger strike over poor living conditions. But late Friday marked the first time in which state police became involved.
