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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill accused ICE on Wednesday of denying her access to Delaney Hall, a Newark immigration detention facility that has become the focus of lawsuits, protests and allegations of unsafe, as scrutiny intensifies over allegations of unsafe conditions inside the center.
“ICE is denying me entry to Delaney Hall — raising serious questions about what is happening behind its walls,” Sherrill wrote on X.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sherrill’s office to clarify whether she attempted to access the facility Wednesday or was referring to an ongoing dispute over access.
The Democratic governor previously attempted to visit the detention center over Memorial Day weekend but was denied entry, according to local reports.
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Sherrill said she recently met with family members of individuals being held at the facility and heard allegations about unsafe conditions.
“Last night in Jersey City, I met with families whose loved ones are being detained there,” Sherrill wrote. “What I heard only deepened my concerns.”
“Families shared heartbreaking reports of unsafe, inhumane, and unconstitutional conditions — detainees being denied access to proper medical care and medication, violence and intimidation, threats of losing phone and video access, visitation privileges being taken away, and deeply troubling accounts of detainees being pressured to sign deportation papers with no translation,” she continued.
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Sherrill said she would continue pushing for accountability and improved conditions at the facility while reiterating her support for ultimately shutting it down.
The governor’s comments came after New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced this week that the state had filed suit against GEO Group Inc., the private company contracted by the Department of Homeland Security to operate the detention center.
The lawsuit seeks access for the New Jersey Department of Health to inspect the facility after state and local officials, including Sherrill, were allegedly denied entry. The filing also references reports that some detainees have launched a hunger strike over conditions inside the center.
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The Department of Homeland Security dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous.”
A DHS spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that detainees are provided three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap and other basic necessities.
Sherrill has also faced criticism from Newark officials, activists and law-enforcement supporters over her response to demonstrations outside the facility.
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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said Tuesday he disagreed with tactics used by the New Jersey State Police after they were deployed to secure the area around Delaney Hall, describing the agency as “a sword.”
On Saturday, Sherrill defended the deployment, saying the New Jersey State Police Public Safety Response Team was sent to the area because it was “absolutely necessary to protect public safety and avoid escalation.”
When reached for comment, ICE referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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