For anyone keeping score at home, Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark has once again become the focal point of a growing controversy surrounding anti-ICE demonstrations, arrests, and allegations that outside activists are helping drive the unrest.
The scene has felt remarkably familiar to observers who followed the events of May 2025. Over the past two weeks, clashes between protesters and immigration enforcement personnel have generated a steady stream of headlines, with several incidents leading to criminal charges.
One of the most serious cases involved 26-year-old Brendan John Geier of New Jersey, who authorities allege kicked and bit two ICE agents during a confrontation. Another incident drew national attention after video surfaced showing a protester allegedly threatening to kill an ICE agent and members of the agent’s family. Authorities later identified the suspect as 27-year-old Nicholas Matthew Scelfo of Brooklyn through facial recognition technology. According to a Department of Justice press release issued Monday, investigators say Scelfo later admitted making the threats during an interview with law enforcement.
DHS Sec Mullin announces individuals from Portland have been arrested during Delaney Hall ICE riots in New Jersey:
"We've arrested people that came in from PORTLAND, not from New Jersey. Came in from Portland to lead. We've seen that they've been well-supplied, we've seen… pic.twitter.com/RAPAy4K88A
— Katie Daviscourt 📸 (@KatieDaviscourt) June 1, 2026
As tensions escalated, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill found herself facing increasing pressure to restore order around the facility. After several days of unrest, state police became more actively involved in crowd control efforts. During a Saturday press conference, Sherrill highlighted what she described as a significant outside presence among those arrested.
“We know that people from outside the state have been interfering in the protests and escalating them,” Sherrill said, noting that five of the six individuals arrested at that point were not New Jersey residents. She also claimed that “national extremist groups” were helping coordinate some of the activity surrounding the demonstrations.
The focus on outside involvement intensified further on Monday when Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin discussed recent arrests. According to Mullin, some of those taken into custody had traveled from Portland, Oregon.
BREAKING: DHS Secretary Mullin reveals some anti-ICE rioters in New Jersey came from PORTLAND.
They flew across the country just to riot.
This is all organized and funded by the left.
The Democrats are coordinating to wreck havoc and chaos across our country. pic.twitter.com/MhoCfTAGAl
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 1, 2026
“We've arrested people that came in from Portland, not from New Jersey,” Mullin stated. “Came in from Portland to lead. We've seen that they've been well-supplied, we've seen Antifa flags being flown.”
Mullin also praised the performance of New Jersey State Police, arguing that conditions improved once additional law enforcement resources were deployed.
The mention of Portland immediately caught attention because the city has long been associated with some of the nation’s most visible protest movements. Federal facilities there, including ICE offices and the federal courthouse, have repeatedly been the site of demonstrations, riots, and confrontations with law enforcement over the last several years.
Whether the unrest around Delaney Hall continues to grow or begins to subside remains unclear.
