Gov. Mikey Sherrill blames ICE for denying him access to the Newark facility
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New Jersey Governor Mike Sherrill accused ICE on Wednesday of denying him access to Delaney Hall, the Newark immigration detention center that has become the scene of lawsuits, protests and allegations of unsafe conditions, as scrutiny of allegations of unsafe conditions inside the facility grows.
“ICE is denying me entry to Delaney Hall – raising serious questions about what goes on behind its walls,” Sherrill wrote in X.
Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill’s office to clarify whether he had tried to reach the agency on Wednesday or was referring to the ongoing access dispute.
The Democratic governor attempted to visit the facility over Memorial Day weekend but was denied entry, according to local reports.
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ICE agents outside of New Jersey Democratic Govt. Mikey Sherrill. (Fox News Digital’s Rashid Umar Abbasi; Governor Mikie Sherrill)
Sherrill said he recently met with family members of people who were held at the facility and heard allegations about unsafe conditions.
“Last night in Jersey City, I met with families who have loved ones imprisoned there,” Sherrill wrote. “What I heard deepened my concern.”
“Families have shared heartbreaking reports of unsafe, cruel and unconstitutional conditions – prisoners being denied access to proper health care and medication, violence and intimidation, threats of phone and video loss, deprivation of visitation rights, and the most troubling issues of prisoners being pressured to sign deportation papers without translation,” he said.
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New Jersey Gov. Mike Sherrill said ICE is denying him access to Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital; Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sherrill said she will continue to fight for accountability and improved conditions at the facility while stressing that she supports its eventual closure.
The governor’s comments come after New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced this week that the state has filed a lawsuit against GEO Group Inc., a private company contracted by the Department of Homeland Security to operate the detention center.
The lawsuit seeks access to the New Jersey Department of Health to inspect the facility after state and local officials, including Sherrill, were denied access. There are also reports that some detainees have started a hunger strike due to the conditions inside the facility.
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State police arrest a person outside the Delaney Hall Detention Center during a protest against prison transfer and immigration policies in Newark, NJ, on May 29, 2026. (Andres Kudacki/AP)
The Department of Homeland Security dismissed the case as “frivolous.”
A DHS spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that inmates are provided with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap and other basic necessities.
Sherrill also faced criticism from Newark officials, activists and law enforcement supporters for her response to the protests outside the campus.
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Protesters gathered outside the office of Gov. Mikie Sherrill at the State House in Trenton, NJ, on June 1, 2026, demanding that she take action and speak to the group about the Delaney Hall ICE facility. (Rashid Umar Abbasi of Fox News Digital)
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said Tuesday that he does not agree with the tactics used by the New Jersey State Police after being assigned to protect the area around Delaney Hall, describing the agency as a “sword.”
On Saturday, Sherrill defended the deployment, saying the New Jersey State Police Emergency Response Team was sent to the area because it was “absolutely necessary to protect public safety and prevent escalation.”
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When reached for comment, ICE referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
