Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4
Sherrill Defends Scores of Delaney Hall Arrests as She Cites Threat of ICE Surge
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4

Sherrill Defends Scores of Delaney Hall Arrests as She Cites Threat of ICE Surge

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 4

Summary

  • Mikie Sherrill said New Jersey State Police were sent to Delaney Hall to stop a feared escalation between protesters and federal agents, defending weekend clashes that led to scores of arrests.
  • Friday night looked poised to turn violent, she said, with ICE officers massing at the gate, pointing weapons at protesters, after an earlier incident in which one person was pushed into a semi truck and injured.
  • Sherrill argued the state response was meant to avoid a Minneapolis-style federal crackdown, contrasting it with an ICE surge there in which two people were killed.
  • The defense came after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said State Police resembled ICE in their handling of protesters; Sherrill said she was still concerned by some videos, while Attorney General Jennifer Davenport pledged a review.

Insights

When state police replace federal agents at a protest, does it de-escalate violence or just change the enforcer?
Amid clashes outside the detention center, what is the fate of the striking detainees who sparked the protests?
With courts split on police use of force, what are the new rules of engagement for protests?