Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark on Saturday, Aug. 8 in the wake of two recent reported deaths of detainees.
The demonstration was mostly peaceful, but two protesters were hit with pepper spray by the center's staff after the protesters grabbed the entry gate.
Protestors yelled at staff near the gate as workers and visitors made their way into and out of the facility. "Go back into your hole troll," they shouted at a gate guard near an entry shack.
At least four detainees were released Saturday afternoon. A group of volunteers helping detainees reintegrate rang bells each time someone was released. Volunteers provided food, gift cards to grocery stores and even Uber rides as far as Philadelphia.
Story continues below photo gallery
Dozens of visitors left the facility, many with tears in their eyes and small children in their hands.
The rally was part of a "National Day of Action" held across the U.S. that centered around immigrant rights.
The rally was held just a day after state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport launched an investigation into alleged civil rights violations by GEO Group, the Florida company that is operating Delaney form U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a 15-year, $1 billion contract.
Delaney Hall has been at the center of the debate in New Jersey over President Donald Trump's escalated actions to arrest undocumented immigrants since he took office last year.
Family members of detainees have said their loved ones have been served spoiled food, been denied medical care, suffered physical abuse and endured a lack of basic hygiene products at the 1,000-bed detention center. The conditions prompted a hunger strike in May.
Two detainees who have died since Delaney opened in May 2025 have been publicly identified, although there may have been a third death recently tied to the facility. Among them was Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, 39, who died Aug. 1 after falling ill. His family said that he did not get proper medical care and demanded an investigation into his death.
The probe announced Aug. 7 by Davenport, a Democrat, will see if any action or inaction by GEO Group violated the rights of detainees.
Gov. Mickie Sherrill, a fellow Democrat, said executives have stopped efforts by her administration to conduct a "full health inspection" of the center.
The state Department of Health sued the Geo Group in June claiming that its inspectors were not allowed to observe conditions at the medical unit, bathrooms, showers or sleeping areas or the facility's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the time said inspectors were allowed access to Delaney Hall "where appropriate."
"We will not tolerate a facility that abdicates any transparency and accountability," Sherrill said in a statement.
Check back for updates on this developing story
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Protesters rally at Delaney Hall following recent death of detainee