Hunger Strike Dispute at New Jersey ICE Detention Center

Activist groups report that, beginning over Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of detainees at Delaney Hall—a privately operated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark, New Jersey—initiated a hunger strike to protest spoiled food, inadequate medical care, and poor living conditions. The Guardian noted the strike entered its ninth day on June 1, 2026. A handwritten letter attributed to nearly 300 detainees was later circulated, reaffirming the ongoing protest.

Reason

Delaney Hall is one of several ICE detention centers in the New York-New Jersey corridor. It is operated by a private contractor under ICE oversight and houses individuals awaiting immigration hearings, including families, juveniles, and individuals with chronic health conditions.

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• ICE – Federal agency managing detention.

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• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Supervises ICE; includes Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, and White House border czar Tom Homan.

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• Cosecha – Immigrant-rights organization representing detainees.

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• Alex Minogue – Attorney with Nova Law Group representing detainees.

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• Detained individuals – Approximately 300 signatories of the Cosecha letter; hundreds alleged participants in the strike.

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DHS officials have issued multiple, contradictory statements. A DHS social-media post declared “NO HUNGER STRIKE” at Delaney Hall. Secretary Mullin later said only a “handful of individuals” were refusing food, attributing the refusal to a desire for “ethnic right food.” Border czar Homan warned that, should detainees’ health become “extreme danger,” the government would obtain a court order to force-feed them. Acting Assistant Secretary Bis asserted that detainees receive “3 meals a day, medical care, and full due process,” describing their treatment as “the best in the history of human civilization.”

Reason

Cosecha’s letter alleges that detainees suffer from “illnesses such as HIV, cancer, diabetes, heart problems” without adequate medical attention, and that agents have detained individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and pregnant women. Attorney Minogue criticized Mullin’s characterization of the protest, stating that detainees “have been subjected to having worms in their food” and that the issue is not an “ethnic” food preference. Local observers also note a high prevalence of COVID-19 and seasonal flu within the facility, raising concerns about potential outbreaks.

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• Nearly 300 detainees signed the Cosecha letter.

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• Activists claim “hundreds” are on strike; the Guardian reported the strike’s ninth day on June 1.

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• No independent count of participants has been released.

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• A recent medical examiner’s report documented a detainee death in Arizona from a severe tooth infection, underscoring broader health concerns in ICE facilities.

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The primary discrepancy lies between DHS’s categorical denial of a hunger strike and activist claims of a large-scale protest. DHS statements vary from outright denial to threats of force-feeding, while no external monitoring body has verified either claim. The lack of publicly available health inspections or independent detainee testimonies leaves a critical evidentiary gap.

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• “And matter of fact, if it gets bad enough and the prisoners feel like they're putting themselves in extreme danger, medical danger, then we'll force-feed them,” — Tom Homan, White House border czar

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• “Many detainees have been subjected to having worms in their food, and I wouldn't say, as Mr.” — Alex Minogue, Attorney, Nova Law Group

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• “No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been better treated than illegal aliens," DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in the statement.” — Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary, DHS

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• “We see young people with approved juvenile status cases, with whom we are living in detention centers.” — Cosecha, detainee advocacy group

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DHS plans to issue a formal press release addressing the allegations. Advocacy groups have called for independent oversight and potential litigation to protect detainees’ health rights. If the strike persists, officials may pursue court-ordered force-feeding, prompting further legal challenges and heightened scrutiny of ICE detention standards.

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