Activists in Newark held a protest on Sunday concerning the rights of immigrants in the United States. The demonstration took place near one of the country's largest Portuguese-speaking communities and resulted in the detention of several dozen activists in the area.
The protest was held on Doramus Avenue, a long industrial street where Delany Hall is located—a local jail managed by U.S. Border Patrol and immigration police. Distant sounds of freight trains and crows filling the electric poles could be heard.
Around sixty participants, representing local unions and left-wing organizations, sharply criticized both the institutions themselves and the staff working there. After months of demonstrations in front of Delany Hall, the complex's walls were covered in graffiti, including the message: 'From Dachau to Delany, a Nazi is a Nazi.'
Geoff Johnson, a union worker at the University of New York, categorically stated that calling it a concentration camp is no exaggeration, labeling it an 'abomination.' He demanded the release of all detainees and the complete demolition of the facility, arguing that it should not exist.
The exact number of detainees remains unknown, but it is estimated that about a thousand people are held in the monolithic building, surrounded by barbed wire and fences, who are transported from areas in New Jersey and New York. Johnson noted that the number varies, but hundreds of people are always present, who may stay for a short time or months, forced to work for meager pay, which he termed slavery.
Geoff Johnson emphasized that most of these individuals are either awaiting asylum decisions or are in the process of legalization. He condemned the current system, asserting that everyone there could be free, and that instead of functioning as before, the immigration system has turned into a network of 'Gulags' across the country.
He also mentioned that the location is neglected, and no local residents know about its existence, despite Newark housing one of the largest Portuguese-speaking communities. In Newark, families have encountered Delany Hall for negative reasons—either relatives were arrested, or they witnessed ICE raids.
Carl, a member of the Newark librarians' union, reported that many people are afraid to go outside and have stopped participating in community life. He recounted seeing ICE agents suddenly arresting people on the street, appearing unnoticed.
Union figures present at the monthly protest stated that they work alongside immigrants and can fight, for example, through strikes. They noted that they are organized, possess resources, and have influence in the electoral system, which they use to express dissatisfaction with this situation.
Geoff Johnson recalled the case in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where citizen mobilization led to the withdrawal of ICE agents from the city. Activists and their representative organizations aim to create a 'rapid response network' to counter ICE raids that attempt to abduct people. They coordinate their actions via the Signal messenger to respond quickly to detentions, as everything happens within minutes.
The protests, dubbed 'Labour eyes on ICE,' have been taking place in front of Delany Hall since May 2025. Johnson noted that the atmosphere is usually peaceful. Today, one activist approached agents at the post but received little response. Johnson considers ICE agents 'mercenaries' and 'bounty hunters,' claiming their actions are illegal because they do not pursue criminals but only people with immigration status issues or debts.
He added that these people are not criminals but working family members who have lived here for decades, and their deportation or confinement in places like Delany Hall, managed by the private group GEO, is absurd and a form of torture because they lack access to medical care. Johnson stated that three people have already died at this location, calling it 'fascism.'
Protest signs mentioned the name of Emiliano Andrade Covarrubias, a 56-year-old Mexican man who passed away last week in a center like Delany Hall in Laredo, Texas. Mary, whose family was affected by this incident, brought Covarrubias's name to Newark. She expressed doubt about the ability of the November 3 midterm elections to change the situation, especially given Trump's influence, who has repeatedly spoken about wanting to become a dictator.
Carl hopes that Trump will lose the midterm elections, fearing that Trump's victory could lead to manipulation of the electoral system. At the end of the day, activists began moving in circles, chanting slogans such as 'Free them all' and in Spanish 'Papeles para todos,' knowing that the detainees hear them, especially after instances of hunger strikes and internal labor.