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Society · Alien Crime · Delaney Hall NJ · May 28, 2026

New Jersey's Governor and Two Senators Spent Memorial Day Demanding an ICE Facility Be Shut Down. 13,851 U.S. Veterans Slept Unsheltered That Night.

On Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, the Governor of New Jersey — Mikie Sherrill (D) — was formally denied entry to Delaney Hall, the 1,000-bed GEO Group-operated ICE detention facility in Newark. She had been there since the morning. Junior Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) was inside with the protesters and was pepper-sprayed during the day's clash between demonstrators and federal agents. Two days later, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) arrived for his own facility tour.

The week-long standoff began Friday May 22 when approximately 300 of Delaney Hall's detainees launched a hunger and work strike. The detainees alleged spoiled food, live worms in the meals, broken air conditioning, and medical neglect. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin (R) denied that any of those conditions exist and called the Democratic delegation visits “a political stunt for fundraising clicks.” Border Czar Tom Homan (R), on Fox's Ingraham Angle, said the federal government would seek a court order to force-feed strikers if necessary.

NJ Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Toms River) gave Fox News Digital the framing the trigger article ran with: “Democrats created this chaos with all their laws… [Sherrill's appearance] was a performative stunt to try to change the focus from their policies, which have created this chaos.” That is the editorial accountability story. The ICE per-detainee per-day cost ($164.65) is taxpayer-funded. So is the VA budget for the 32,882 American veterans the same Memorial Day morning counted as homeless.

§ 01 / Who Was Inside Delaney Hall That Week
The Named Democratic Delegation

Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) — Newly elected governor. Denied entry Memorial Day morning. Demanded closure of the facility. Posted on X: “serious questions about what they are trying to hide.”

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) — Gained Saturday May 23 entry after a personal phone call to DHS Sec. Mullin. Returned Memorial Day, was pepper-sprayed during the clash. Demanded the facility be shut down immediately.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)— Toured facility Wednesday May 27. Claimed facility was “overwhelmingly full of people who have not committed any kind of crime.”

Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. (D-NJ-8) — Toured with Kim Saturday May 23. Reported expired food, live worms, no AC. Co-sponsor of No Delay for Immigration Oversight Act.

Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10) — Co-sponsor of No Delay for Immigration Oversight Act. Still under federal indictment for the May 9, 2025 alleged assault on ICE agents at the SAME facility. Pleaded not guilty.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) — Co-sponsor of No Delay for Immigration Oversight Act. Original Delaney Hall trio member.

Mayor Ras Baraka (D, Newark) — Arrested May 9, 2025 at Delaney Hall. Ran for NJ Governor primary 2025 (lost to Sherrill).

§ 02 / The Federal Response

“This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks. There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are no subprime conditions.”

DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin (R) · @SecMullinDHS · May 26, 2026

“Look, I've done this since 1984. Hunger strikes never work. We're not going to change what we do because someone goes on a hunger strike. If it gets bad enough, and physicians feel like they're putting themselves in extreme danger, medical danger, then we'll force-feed them. We'll get a court order and force-feed.”

Border Czar Tom Homan (R) · The Ingraham Angle · May 26, 2026

“Look at ICE's detention standards — the highest detention standards in the industry, better than any state prison, county jail, or federal lock-up.”

Border Czar Tom Homan (R) · Fox News · May 26, 2026

“Would these sanctuary politicians like to house these criminals in their homes?”

DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin (R) · Washington Examiner · May 27, 2026
§ 03 / The Accountability Comparison the Trigger Article Made

The Fox News Digital exclusive built around Assemblyman Kanitra's “five-star accommodations” line drew the comparison that gives this story its accountability weight. DHS, per its own published standards, provides Delaney Hall detainees three meals per day, clean water, clothing, bedding, soap, toiletries, medical care, and phone access. That is the floor below which a U.S. detention facility cannot operate. It is also, materially, more than:

What the Same Memorial Day Looked Like for Other Americans

32,882 American homeless veterans — VA Point-in-Time count for January 2024. 13,851 of them were unsheltered on Memorial Day 2026 — sleeping on streets, in cars, under bridges. They do not get 3 meals/day, clean bedding, climate control, or 24-hour medical access.

93,000 active-duty junior enlistedlive in U.S. Army barracks the Army's own 2025 internal survey rated 68/100 — “below average” — across 785 buildings. Documented conditions: mold, broken air conditioning, plumbing failures, broken locks. SecWar Pete Hegseth pledged $1.2B for repairs in December 2025; the work has not yet completed.

Veterans waiting on VA care face wait times still measured in months in multiple regions. The 8-month figure used as shorthand in Civic Intelligence coverage is the worst-region figure; national average is shorter but still material.

$164.65/day per detainee.Multiplied by 1,000 beds, that is approximately $60M/year in federal-taxpayer cost to operate Delaney Hall alone — before adding GEO Group's capital cost recovery.

§ 04 / On Camera

Six clips. Memorial Day clashes, DHS Sec. Mullin's political-stunt framing, and Sen. Kim's sympathetic narration of the pepper-spray incident — included so readers can see both sides of the camera.

§ 05 / On X — Mullin Issues the Federal Position
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin
@SecMullinDHS · May 26, 2026 · X

This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks. There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are no subprime conditions. @SenBooker, @SenatorAndyKim, @RepMenendez, @RepNellie, @FrankPallone, @GovSherrillNJ and dozens of staff have been allowed in. The facility meets ICE standards.

Governor Mikie Sherrill
@GovSherrillNJ · May 25, 2026 · X

My request for access to Delaney Hall was formally denied this morning, raising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view. I will continue to call for the closure of Delaney Hall.

§ 06 / Trump on Sanctuary State Politics
Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump · 2026 · Recurring Truth Social theme · Sanctuary politics + veterans

The Democrats in New Jersey are spending Memorial Day fighting to protect the people we are deporting. American Veterans on the same day are sleeping on the street. The American taxpayer pays $164 a day for an illegal alien to sit in a brand-new ICE facility. Disgraceful. The contrast tells you everything.

Paraphrased commentary · not a verbatim post

Paraphrased composite of Trump's recurring Truth Social posts on sanctuary politics and veterans. Primary sources via the @realDonaldTrump feed.

§ 07 / Officials Named — With Party
The Two Camps

Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) · Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) · Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) · Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. (D-NJ-8) · Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10) · Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) · Mayor Ras Baraka (D, Newark).

DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin (R) · Border Czar Tom Homan (R) · Asm. Paul Kanitra (R-Toms River).

Active criminal status: Rep. McIver remains under federal indictment for the May 9, 2025 alleged assault on ICE agents at this same facility. She has pleaded not guilty; the case is ongoing.

§ 08 / Update · May 29, 2026 — What the Detainees Actually Did to Get There

Democratic politicians have spent a week demanding better food, more comfortable conditions, and the closure of Delaney Hall on behalf of its detainees. ICE detention facilities hold a mix of civil immigration detainees and criminal illegal aliens. Before the “five-star accommodations” framing gets taken at face value, the criminal record of who is inside these facilities is part of the accountability record.

The Crimes — What ICE Detainees Have Been Charged or Convicted Of

ICE’s own data and DOJ prosecutions document that current ICE detainees include individuals charged or convicted of: child rape, sexual assault of minors, murder, kidnapping, human trafficking, torture, drug trafficking, armed robbery, aggravated assault, DUI manslaughter, and gang racketeering. Three major criminal enterprises dismantled in 2026 alone:

La Familia Nunca Muere (LFNM): 52 members charged in March 2026. Linked to 30+ murders, drug trafficking, racketeering — violent criminal enterprise operating across multiple jurisdictions.

Las Farc Playita: 53 members charged. Linked to 50+ murders. Control multiple Puerto Rico public housing projects where violence doubled in H1 2025.

Los Vira’o: 43 members indicted. Operate open-air drug markets behind barricades.

These are the people Democratic members of Congress spent Memorial Day demanding receive improved food service, better air conditioning, and expedited release hearings. NJ Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Toms River) put it directly: “Democrats created this chaos with all their laws.”

Editorial cartoon: Democratic politicians demanding five-star accommodations for ICE detainees while ignoring their criminal records
§ 09 / What ICE Detainees Receive — The Actual Standard

Per DHS published detention standards, every ICE detainee in a facility like Delaney Hall receives: three meals per day, clean drinking water, clean clothing, bedding, soap and toiletries, access to medical care (including emergency care, mental health services, and prescription medications), dental care, phone access, legal library access, and religious services. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin (R)stated: “Look at ICE’s detention standards — the highest detention standards in the industry, better than any state prison, county jail, or federal lock-up.”

This free comprehensive care costs U.S. taxpayers $152 per detainee per day — the September 2025 DHS actual figure (the FY2025 budget estimate was $164.65/day). At Delaney Hall’s 1,000-bed capacity, that is approximately $55.5 million per year in taxpayer cost. For a facility holding people who include individuals convicted of child rape, murder, and human trafficking. Mullin on the food complaints specifically: “This isn’t Holiday Inn. They can go back to their country and get whatever food they want.” NJ Assemblyman Kanitra specifically noted that Delaney Hall’s food service provider is the same company that services the $150,000 to $500,000 luxury suites at MetLife Stadium.

Editorial cartoon: cost comparison between ICE detention free medical/dental care vs. homeless veterans sleeping on streets
§ 10 / Protesters Blocking Trash Removal — Concrete Blocks in the Road

The protests outside Delaney Hall escalated beyond political demonstrations. Local reporting documented protesters using concrete blocks to obstruct access roads, physically preventing garbage collectors and sanitation workers from reaching trash collection points in the surrounding neighborhood. Newark residents — including those with no connection to the protests — faced delayed trash collection and disrupted municipal services as a direct result of the demonstration tactics.

DHS Secretary Mullin: “Would these sanctuary politicians like to house these criminals in their homes?” The answer implicit in the disruption pattern is no — they’d rather disrupt garbage service for their own constituents than allow ICE to operate a detention facility in their jurisdiction.

Editorial cartoon: protesters blocking trash trucks with concrete blocks outside Delaney Hall ICE detention facility
§ 11 / Update: Democrats Spread to Other ICE Facilities Nationally

The Delaney Hall protests inspired a coordinated Democratic sweep of ICE facilities across multiple states. By May 28, 2026:

Democratic Delegations at ICE Facilities — May 2026

Moshannon Valley Processing Center, Pennsylvania (May 28): Reps. Summer Lee (D-PA-12) and Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) — first members of Congress admitted to the facility (largest ICE facility in the Northeast). Were blocked from bringing interpreters, limiting communication. Reported a pregnant detainee alleging inadequate prenatal care. Called for reforms.

California City Detention Center, California (May 27): Reps. Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Luz Rivas (D-CA-29), George Whitesides (D-CA-27). Described conditions as an “improvement from abysmal conditions in November” but said healthcare and contact visits were “falling short.” Called 1,600+ civil detainees “at taxpayers’ great expense.”

Mesa ICE Facility, Arizona (April 2026): Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ-3), Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-7), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-4). Ansari: “It is frightening in there. It is disgusting.” Rooms at “double, almost triple” maximum recommended occupancy. Detainees described as “stuffed like sardines,” with no access to drinking water.

Current ICE detention population (May 2026): Approximately 68,000–70,000 — up 84% from the Biden-era end figure of 39,703 (January 12, 2025). The population peaked at 73,000 in January 2026. ICE’s FY2026 expansion target: 92,600 beds, including eight “mega-centers” of up to 10,000 each. Senate voted 98-0 in April 2026 to advance a $70 billion ICE/Border Patrol funding plan.

Editorial cartoon: map of Democratic politicians visiting ICE facilities across America — PA, CA, AZ, NJ — while detainees include murderers and child rapists
§ 12 / Sources