Four suspected illegal aliens being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in New Jersey reportedly remain “unaccounted for” after approximately 50 detainees pushed down a wall and staged a violent uprising on Thursday night.
The riot took place at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark.
As news of the detention center riot broke, anti-ICE protesters flocked to the scene and added to the chaos.
The illegal aliens were reportedly upset about the food and the conditions in which they were being detained.
Mustafa Cetin, an immigration lawyer who represents a detainee, told NJ.com, “It’s about the food, and some of the detainees were getting aggressive and it turned violent.”
“Based on what he told me it was an outer wall, not very strong, and they were able to push it down.”
Cetin’s client told him that inmates on the third floor of the detention center tied sheets together as part of their escape efforts.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka validated the concerns of the violent rioters instead of outright condemning them. He was arrested outside the facility last month during a confrontation with security officers while “trying to tour the facility.”
“We are concerned about reports of what has transpired at Delaney Hall this evening, ranging from withholding food and poor treatment, to uprising and escaped detainees,” Mayor Baraka said in a statement. “This entire situation lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail — including local zoning laws and fundamental constitutional rights.
“We demand immediate answers and clear communication with the GEO Group and the Department of Homeland Security,” Baraka said. “We must put an end to this chaos and not allow this operation to continue unchecked.”
Liberal politicians, including Senator Andy Kim and Rep. Rob Menendez, also went to Delaney Hall to “request answers” about the conditions at the private facility on Friday.
The New York Post reports that a “manhunt is underway for the detainees who remain unaccounted for, according to sources.”
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