‘Kill ICE’ Rioters Came Prepared. So Did Police.

Police arrested over 20 people Sunday night outside a New Jersey ICE detention center that has been the target of violent protests. 

The arrests came after nearly a hundred people armed with helmets, gas masks, and shields broke curfew outside the Delaney Hall detention facility, The New York Post reported. One person scrawled “Kill ICE” on a wall in spray paint while crowds chanted leftist slogans like “Give Peace a Chance” and “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.”

Local authorities imposed a 9:00 p.m. curfew after riots broke out at Delaney Hall on Saturday evening as tires were burned and objects thrown at police officers. Activists have alleged that illegal immigrants detained at the facility have faced poor conditions. 

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said that those arrested included a group who came to “protest armed with helmets, shields, or gas masks” and that they “deliberately refused to comply with repeated orders to leave the area.” 

“Their actions put the public at risk, and I am grateful to law enforcement for de-escalating the situation,” she said. 

The Department of Homeland Security posted several videos on social media on Sunday night showing protesters being arrested. “If you riot, you will face the consequences. Law and order prevails,” the department said. 

If you riot, you will face the consequences. Law and order prevails. https://t.co/FQSchSqfz0

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 1, 2026

In other posts, the department said it would have “ZERO tolerance for rioters” and that “lawlessness, rioting, and obstruction of law enforcement will NOT be tolerated.”

Top New Jersey Democrats have continued attacks on ICE despite the violent protests over the weekend. 

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka used most of his statement on the unrest to condemn ICE, adding at the end that “it is also important to note that burning tires in the street, throwing bottles or bricks, and bringing weapons to protest have made this situation more dangerous” and “detracts” from the protests “original premise.” 

Commenting on the protests from Saturday night, Democrat Governor Mikie Sherrill said that her “number one priority will always be public safety, and I remain dedicated to protecting constitutional rights. We simply cannot let ICE surge into our community.”

The unrest comes as detainees at Delaney Hall engage in a purported “hunger strike.” A source told The Daily Wire last week that detainees are opting to not eat their regular meals while going to the commissary to purchase snacks instead. Meanwhile, activist groups are claiming that detainees are being fed spoiled food and meals contaminated with worms.

Under President Donald Trump, ICE facilities and officers have faced an increase in protests and attacks. Earlier this year, conservative commentator Ben Ferguson noted that ICE did not face similar pressure from the legacy media and the Left under former President Barack Obama.

CNN’s Abby Phillip: ICE raids? Controversial. Always have been, always will be.@benfergusonshow: Not really! When Obama was doing them it wasn’t controversial! You guys [CNN] did ride alongs! pic.twitter.com/AeJ1IsVlk8

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 21, 2026

CNN host Abby Phillip said that ICE raids were “controversial” and “always have been, always will be.”

“Not really,” Ferguson replied. “When Obama was doing them it wasn’t controversial. You guys did ride alongs.”