{"id":9932,"date":"2026-05-27T23:31:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9932"},"modified":"2026-05-27T23:31:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T23:31:46","slug":"congress-members-say-conditions-dire-at-nj-detention-center-facing-protests-reported-hunger-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9932","title":{"rendered":"Congress members say conditions dire at NJ detention center facing protests, reported hunger strike"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TED SHAFFREY and PHILIP MARCELO<\/strong><\/p>\n

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) \u2014 Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday said they observed dire conditions within a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey where protesters have been demonstrating for days and asserting that detainees are on a hunger strike.<\/p>

Read more Angels place Nolan Schanuel on the IL, bring up Nick Madrigal<\/a><\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan Democrat, said detainees at Delaney Hall in Newark are being given small portions of food that \u201cvery often\u201d contain maggots and that the only medication they receive is Tylenol.<\/p>\n

One woman, he said, had a lump in her breast but was still waiting on a mammogram more than a month into her detention. Another detainee was suffering from colon cancer but wasn\u2019t receiving any treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is, if you are human, if you are American, you cannot support what is going on here,\u201d said U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, another Manhattan Democrat who toured the facility Wednesday. \u201cThey\u2019re living in jail conditions, and none of these people are criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, another Manhattan Democrat, described conditions as \u201cinhumane\u201d after spending about an hour inside the facility,<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will shut this center down,\u201d he vowed. \u201cWe will shut it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawmakers addressed protesters and family members of detainees demonstrating outside the facility\u2019s security gate after their visits.<\/p>

\n<\/div>\n

More than 50 people held signs saying \u201cStop Family Separation\u201d and chanted \u201cFree Them All\u201d and other slogans. Some shouted directly at the armed and helmet-wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers standing outside, calling them \u201ccowards\u201d and \u201cidiots.\u201d<\/p>\n

The protests began Friday and have been tense at times.<\/p>\n

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, said he was pepper-sprayed as he and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill led a delegation of Democratic officials who tried to visit detainees at Delaney Hall but were denied entry.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire,\u201d Kim posted on social media after Monday\u2019s clashes. \u201cCivilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd.\u201d<\/p>

\n<\/div>\n

Gabriela Soto said Wednesday that her husband was among the detainees who participated in the hunger strike before he was transferred to another facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first it was just 300. Then it became a little bit more. Now, every single detainee inside there is participating. Every single one,\u201d she said, wearing a black shirt that said \u201cAbolish ICE.\u201d<\/p>

Read more US to provide plutonium from atomic bombs to fuel nuclear plants<\/a><\/p>\n

Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said his organization has heard \u201chorror stories\u201d of detainees, including pregnant women, not getting the proper medical treatment for their health conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cCruelty is the point,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n