NEWARK — Protests outside Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, escalated on Tuesday with clashes between demonstrators and federal law enforcement. Tensions rose when protesters blocked an entrance to the facility, prompting federal agents in riot gear to deploy armored vehicles and fire pepper balls and chemical agents at the crowd.

Detainees at Delaney Hall waged a hunger strike in early April over alleged inedible food and lack of access to medical care. Selenia Destefani, managing attorney for Nova Law Group, said her clients were given expired food and meals containing worms. She added that some detainees engaged in a hunger strike over the weekend due to facility conditions and that participants were later placed in solitary confinement or transferred to other facilities. Destefani also said some of her clients were released in recent months because they were not receiving medication or treatment for cancer, diabetes, depression, and other conditions.

Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, said the group has received complaints about “inedible food, unsanitary conditions, abusive treatment, indignities left and right and limited access or no access to medical care” at Delaney Hall. Sinha said hundreds of detainees engaged in a hunger strike because they “had enough” of the conditions.

U.S. Senator Andy Kim said he “saw chaos inside and outside of the ICE detention center Delaney Hall,” with detainees protesting lack of due process, poor food, and treatment while families and advocates demonstrated outside. He said that instead of addressing concerns about conditions, ICE deployed an armored vehicle and armed agents, which “only poured gasoline on the fire.” Kim also reported seeing civilians tackled and restrained, and that agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd. In a social media post, he wrote, “Delaney Hall is a failure; it’s this administration’s failure,” and called for shutting it down.

The Department of Homeland Security denied allegations of substandard conditions, stating that all detainees receive three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, toiletries, and communication access. DHS also stated that detainees receive comprehensive healthcare, medical appointments, and 24/7 emergency care. The agency asserted there was no hunger strike at Delaney Hall and said its use of force against protesters was necessary because “rioters obstructed law enforcement from exiting the ICE facility.” DHS added that officers issued multiple verbal commands to clear the area and used the minimum force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.

GEO Group, which operates Delaney Hall, said detainees have around-the-clock access to medical care and dietitian-approved meals, including religious and specialty diets. The company added that its services are monitored by ICE and other DHS organizations to ensure compliance with detention standards. As of early April, nearly 900 detainees were held at the facility, according to ICE data.