Woman waving American flag hit by car outside Delaney
By: Ricardo Kaulessar
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... A protester standing outside the Newark immigration center Delaney Hall was struck by a car heading into the facility on Father's Day.
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A 19-second video provided by the Sussex County-based activist group Sussex Visibility Brigage shows a woman waving an American flag while standing in the driveway near a chine-link gate on a bright, sunny afternoon when a sporty red car drives up from behind and hits her before proceeding int the facility.
..... Just before the car hits the woman, a person can be heard on the video saying, "Nazi piece of [expletive] coming through." Afterward, onlookers were yelling, including one person saying, "What the [expletive}." People helped the women to her feet, and she then made an obscene gesture toward the car.
..... Birdie Green, co-founder of Sussex Visibility Brigade and one of the organizers of the event, said the gathering was a vigil that was an "attempt to honor dads imprisoned in Delaney Hall," with people performing music, and not a protest.
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"We began to see ICE lining up behind the gates. That's when GEO Group employees began driving through in their personal vehicles," Greens aid. "One woman was twirling an American flag by the gates when she was directly hit form behind by an employee's car. She was not blocking vehicles and could not see it coming."
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A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to NorthJersey.com . "On Sunday, rioters surrounded an employee's vehicle, assaulted federal officers, interfered with a lawful arrest, and attempted to obstruct law enforcement operations. One rioter was arrested after she bit a law enforcement officer. Violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated. Law and order will prevail."
..... Green said the woman, whom she identified as an advocate form Minnesota, was evaluate at the medical tent set up nearby, returned to the protest shortly afterward and was moving unimpaired.
..... She was back outside of Delaney Hall as of June22. [2026] Green said the woman did not want to give her name to the press.
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The woman, Green said, reported the incident to the Newark Police Deportment, but no police responded to the scene, NorthJersey.com reached out to the city of Newark about the claim that municipal a police received a report about the incident, but did not get an immediate response.
..... Those who witnessed the incident, Green said, began throwing plastic bottles and yelling, whits prompted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to come out from the gates of the facility, deploying pepper spray and mace. She said there were 75 vigil members and another 20 protesters not connected to the vigil present for the action outside Delaney Hall.
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"On Father's Day, ICE and GEO Group attacked people who were there for a peaceful vigil, and family members who just wanted to be as close as they could get to their loved ones,"Green said. "Today 06/21/2026] should be a reminder for all that ICE is only good for creating misery and mayhem."
..... However, when Green was asked how it was a vigil and not a protest when people could be heard taunting the security guards, including a man yelling through bullhorn,she aid. "Vigil attendees were singing and writing positive messages with chalk at the time of the incident' and were not involved wit the protesters.
..... Messages in chalk on the driveway can be seen in the video, saying "ICE rapes kids" and "Nazi" with an arrow pointed toward the entrance.
..... The DHS spokesperson said the vehicle was not driven by an ICE employees, and referred questions about its drive to The GEO Group.
..... The GEO Group, the operator of Delaney Hall, did not respond immediately to questions for comment on the incident.
Heightened tensions
..... The incident highlights the continued tension between protesters and ICE officers and facility staff outside the 1,196-bed detention center, operated by the prison company The GEO Group under a 15-year contract with ICE that started in May 2025. Clashes between the parties have occurred since a hunger and labor strike started by detainees over their claims of horrid conditions, such as spoiled food and substandard medical care.
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ICE has consistently denied that there's a hunger strike, saying, "during hunger strikes, ICE continues to provide three meals a day, delivered to the detained alien's room, and an adequate supply of drinking water or other beverages," ICE also says detainees have access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care, and that certified dietitians evaluate meals. Representative Jeff Van Drew, R-Cumberland, said after a visit on June 1: [2026] "I saw good conditions, clean facilitate, basic care, and a detention center where ICE and DHS are doing a hard job that keeps our communities safe. quite frankly, the conditions I saw today [06/01/2026] are better than what you see in some nursing homes."
..... Representative Rob Menendez, D-Hudson, who has frequently visited Delaney Hall and has been a critic of the Trump administration's peritoneal of the facility,s aid on June 22 [2026] on MS Now that the June 21 [2026] incident was "horrible to see."
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"The lawlessness at Delaney Hall continues ... this was a group of individuals who were there, highlighting the fact that many of the detained individuals at Delaney Hall are fathers," Menedez said.
..... The multi-faith coalition Faith In New Jersey
said in a statement, "This weekend, [06-20-21/2026] videos circulated showing ICE and GEO Group personal outside Delaney Hall harming people who had gathered with moral courage to speak out for their beloved neighbors held inside and separated from their families. People of faith will not be silenced because our love is met with violence."