Newark Imposes Overnight Curfew Around Delaney Hall; NJ State Police Assume Security; Mounted Officers Clash with Protesters, Tires Set Ablaze

The Delaney Hall ICE detention facility crisis in Newark, New Jersey escalated dramatically on May 30, 2026 — the ninth consecutive day of protests — as Newark Mayor Ras Baraka imposed a mandatory overnight curfew from 9 PM to 6 AM covering a half-mile radius around the GEO Group-operated facility. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill had ordered state police to establish a 'protected protest zone' the prior day, and NJ State Police formally assumed control of security around Delaney Hall on May 30, effectively displacing ICE agents who had clashed violently with demonstrators on multiple prior nights. Mounted state police moved into crowds; tear gas was deployed. Protesters attacked metal barriers, threw projectiles, used barriers as weapons, and lit tires on fire in the street. At least three people were arrested during the night — one for illegal weapon possession and others for curfew violations. MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi, reporting live from outside the facility, was escorted away by police despite his assertion that he was not violating the curfew; Velshi stated 'There was no curfew. We were not in violation of anything whatsoever.' DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin appeared on Fox News to publicly declare the NJ State Police takeover a vindication of the administration's position, framing the de-escalation as a federal victory and the protesters as 'rioters' and 'political agitators.' Inside Delaney Hall, approximately 300 detainees remained on a work strike that had begun May 22 in protest of spoiled food, lack of medical care, and guard violence; DHS continued to deny any hunger strike was occurring. Family visitations, suspended during the unrest, were announced to resume May 31.