Delaney Hall becomes Markwayne Mullin's first test as DHS head

Axios Axios —

A private detention center in New Jersey has https://www.axios.com/2025/05/11/newark-ice-facility-dhs-arrest-threats-democratic-lawmakers" target="_blank">again become a major flashpoint in the fight over the https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_blank">Trump administration's immigration policies.

Why it matters: It's the first major clash under Homeland Security Secretary https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/markwayne-mullin-homeland-security-secretary-nominee" target="_blank">Markwayne Mullin's leadership.

Protesters have been https://x.com/SecMullinDHS/status/2060346993805811767" target="_blank">arrested outside the facility while detainees reportedly take part in a hunger strike over claims of inhumane living conditions and inadequate medical care.

The latest: Sherrill announced Friday the formation of a protected protest zone outside of the facility.

  • Sherrill also said she'd take "every action available" to facilitate a full inspection of the facility by the New Jersey Department of Health, which she said had its access restricted.
  • A department spokesperson confirmed to Axios that inspectors were only allowed to conduct a food service inspection.

The other side: Mullin has argued the backlash has "nothing to do with the conditions at the facility," which DHS https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/05/25/dhs-debunks-new-jersey-sanctuary-politicians-smears-against-ice-facility" target="_blank">says include three meals a day, clean water, clothing and other resources.

State of play: But Nedia Morsy, the director of https://maketheroadnj.org/" target="_blank">Make the Road New Jersey, tells Axios that the hunger strike is a coordinated effort among 300 detained community members seeking release.

  • "ICE lies and manipulates and threatens and continues to feel that they have the permission to do so because ...

    Mullin enables it and encourages it," she argues.

  • Ami Kachalia, a senior policy strategist with the ACLU of New Jersey, tells Axios there has been "brutality in the conditions, and there's been brutality in the response."

Friction point: Former Secretary Kristi https://www.axios.com/2026/03/06/kristi-noem-dhs-trump-inside-firing" target="_blank">Noem's ouster followed months of backlash against her handling of the nation's immigration crackdown, especially after two U.S. citizens were killed at the hands of federal agents in Minnesota.

  • Trump swiftly tapped Mullin, then a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, to replace her.

    He's now been in the job for around two months, navigating a department rocked by funding debates and a backlog of contracts.

Context: Delaney Hall was the https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-expands-detention-capacity-delaney-hall-facility-new-jersey" target="_blank">first center to open under the second Trump administration and quickly became central to the nation's immigration debate.

Zoom out: Not only does the outcry represent a pivotal moment in Mullin's tenure, but it is also reminiscent of similar scenes at immigration facilities across the country.

Axios' Brittany Gibson contributed reporting.

Go deeper: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/noem-dhs-contracts-backlog" target="_blank">The contracting mess Noem's leaving behind at DHS

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