More than 300 people locked inside of Delaney Hall, the ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, have been on hunger and labor strike since Friday demanding their freedom. The strike follows the release of an open letter drawing attention to the inhumane conditions inside the 1,000-bed facility operated by the private prison company GEO Group.

Delaney Hall was reopened under Trump’s second term as part of his administration’s war on immigrants, despite the protests of the local community.

The inhumane conditions at the facility, which caused the death of Haitian immigrant Jean Wilson Brutus late last year, include poor nutrition and medical treatment — particularly for children and people with disabilities — and lack of translation services. Detainees also lack information about the status of their cases, conditions which amount to psychological torture.

Detainees are also being exploited for their labor. According to Gabriela Soto on Democracy Now, “they get paid $1.50 a day for a whole day of work. That is why mainly the hospitality tent outside of Delaney Hall, we help families with getting to their commissary, because it’s never enough.”

This comes in the context of the Public Citizen report on ICE’s s0-called “Voluntary Work Program,” where more than 60,000 immigrants across the country are coerced to work for less than $1 per day.

In retaliation for the hunger and labor strike, ICE has tried to transfer one of the leaders of the hunger strike, Martín Soto. Led by Soto’s pregnant wife Gabriela, around 100 community members showed up to block the entrance of the facility to prevent the transfer.

Haunting images show the shadowed contours of the people detained inside, communicating with the protesters gathered outside on Sunday night. Protesters blocked unmarked vehicles and confronted masked, armed ICE agents who met them with pepper balls and pepper spray. Even New Jersey Senator Andy Kim was pepper sprayed, despite his efforts seconds before to break the line that protesters had set up to prevent ICE vehicles through, potentially allowing the transfer of strike leaders to another facility.

Protests continued into the week, with ICE escalating their aggression in response to a protest on May 26. Those on the ground reported that ICE tased and brutalized protesters, medics, and journalists alike and abducted several protesters into Delaney Hall where they were held without charges for several hours.

The hunger strike and community solidarity forced Governor Mikie Sherrill to visit the center for the first time. Demonstrations like these have played a similar role in forcing the state of New Jersey to close three immigrant detention centers in 2021 and pass a law banning private prisons. However, under the Biden administration that law was overturned, leading to the current expansion of ICE detention and operations in New Jersey.

As activists in the state lead a renewed confrontation with ICE, we must remember that our combative protests and collective power have won past concessions, while the Democrats and their appeals to trust in the institutions of bourgeois democracy have demobilized our movements, paving the way for setbacks. As Trump continues ICE’s attacks, we need to unite across state lines to demand the release of all those detained in these inhumane facilities.

And beyond the defense of our communities against ICE, it’s time to go on the offensive against a system of discrimination which normalizes this violence. The immigrant rights movement can use our power to fight for full citizenship and rights for all immigrants living in the United States.

The post Protesters Confront ICE in Support of Hunger and Labor Strike at Delaney Hall appeared first on Left Voice.

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