Washington, D.C. — Today Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director of Indivisible, released the following statement in response to the escalating crisis and inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall Detention Center in New Jersey:
“The situation at Delaney Hall has become a humanitarian crisis. The people detained in Delaney Hall are bravely demanding dignity, due process, and the freedom to be with their families, while facing violent retaliation. We need immediate medical care for those inside, immediate oversight from Governor Sherrill and members of Congress, and the immediate humanitarian release of the most vulnerable people being held there, including elders, pregnant people, young people, and those with serious medical conditions.
“It has been days since chemical agents were deployed inside the facility, yet detainees are still being denied adequate medical care. At the same time, community members and faith leaders demanding accountability outside Delaney Hall were met with pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets. That is an egregious failure of leadership by the Sherrill administration. Less than 24 hours since her press conference on public safety, tensions on the ground continue to rise.
“What is happening at Delaney Hall is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand immigrant detention across the country. Beyond these immediate priorities, we must continue fighting to close detention centers like this one. Communities across the country have already stopped proposed detention sites, forced property owners to walk away from deals, and won local moratoriums. The mass detention agenda is deeply unpopular, and organized communities are proving it can be stopped.
“As soon as next week, Congressional Republicans are expected to return to Washington and try to push more than $70 billion in additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol. At a moment when people are being subjected to conditions like those reported at Delaney Hall, Congress should be cutting off these agencies’ slush funds, not expanding them. We will continue to hold the line. Not one cent more should go to ICE or Border Patrol.”
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