As the two Hispanic men walked out, demonstrators began cheering and applauding before a person yelled, “They work here, dumba**!”
Anti-ICE agitators outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey mistakenly cheered for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees after apparently believing they were released detainees.
Video from the scene showed protesters calling for the facility’s gates to be opened. After they were opened, two Hispanic men walked out, prompting demonstrators to begin cheering and applauding before a person yelled, “They work here, dumba**!”
Protests have continued for weeks outside the ICE detention facility, where activists and demonstrators have alleged that the conditions inside are inhumane. Protesters have been seen linking arms, confronting federal agents, and blocking vehicles from entering and leaving the facility.
On Monday, protesters were also seen constructing reinforced barricades near the entrance and exit of the detention center. Agitators reportedly used materials taken from a nearby dumpster, while others were seen digging up cement bricks from outside the building to add to the barricades.
A hunger strike has also reportedly been taking place at Delaney Hall due to detainees allegedly not receiving enough food, which DHS has denied. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Wednesday that “only a handful of individuals that was refusing to eat” because they wanted their “ethnic right food.”
“Well, they can go back to their country and get whatever food they want,” Mullin said. “The fact is, we’re giving them the calories they want. This isn’t Holiday Inn.”
The facility holds 1,000 beds and is currently housing approximately 300 detainees.
