Protesters have clashed with federal immigration agents outside a detention center in New Jersey in the US. At least six people have been arrested.
Activists have been protesting outside Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark for several days. Among them are relatives of detainees, who claim that conditions at the facility have deteriorated sharply, that detainees are being subjected to violence and pepper spray, and that some are on hunger strikes.
GEO Group, the private company that runs the facility, confirms that a “physical altercation” inside the facility on Thursday forced staff to take “control measures” – but claims that no one was seriously injured.
Outside, ICE officers were confronted by angry protesters, some wearing gas masks and armed with trash cans and umbrellas. Six of the activists were arrested and charged with assaulting officers, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill says state officials were denied access to the facility and were unable to conduct a scheduled inspection on Thursday.
Arresting and deporting migrants who have entered the United States illegally was one of President Donald Trump's most prominent campaign promises.