Hundreds of people are on hunger strike at an ICE detention facility in the US state of New Jersey, with crowds rallying outside to support them facing violence from federal agents.​

The detainees at Delaney Hall and their relatives say they are being given rotten food infested with worms, being denied due process under the law and are woken at 6am and forced to clean the facility without pay.

Some 300 detainees signed an open letter earlier this month outlining their alleged poor treatment.

“We feel vulnerable and, in a way, kidnapped – detained without justification,” they wrote, “not to mention that we are being tortured physically and psychologically due to the poor food resources provided in these detention centres.”

Hundreds have gathered in recent days outside the facility in Newark to support the hunger strikers, and have been met with a violent crackdown by federal agents using batons and pepper spray.

Among those caught up in the violence was Democratic senator Andy Kim, who says he was pepper-sprayed while outside the facility on Monday to speak with relatives of people detained there.

Last week, he went inside Delaney Hall and met with dozens of detainees who described mistreatment.

“Often they were talking about poor food that they’re getting, really disgusting food,” he said. “They’re not getting the medical treatment that they need and deserve.” This included a pregnant woman who “was not getting the care that she needed,” he said.

He added: “This place needs to shut down and these people need to be able to get out and be back with their families.”

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