Markwayne Mullin says ICE detainees can 'go back to their country' over demands for 'ethnic food'

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sharply criticized detainees protesting conditions at New Jersey’s Delaney Hall detention facility after reports emerged that some migrants were refusing meals while demanding culturally specific food options.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, May 27, Mullin dismissed claims that a major hunger strike was unfolding inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

Markwayne Mullin rejects hunger strike claims at Delaney Hall detention center

During the Cabinet meeting, Mullin pushed back against activist accounts describing widespread unrest inside the facility.

“They say that it's because they're on a hunger strike because they want their ethnic right food,” Mullin said.

“Well, they can go back to their country and get whatever food they want. This isn't Holiday Inn,” he added.

Mullin insisted reports about a large-scale hunger strike were being exaggerated and claimed only a “handful” of detainees had stopped eating meals being provided at the center.

The Department of Homeland Security also defended the conditions inside Delaney Hall, saying detainees were receiving proper nutrition and adequate living accommodations while in custody.

The Newark detention center has become the focus of mounting protests in recent days, with activists and immigrant advocacy organizations accusing federal authorities of ignoring complaints raised by detainees.

Protests outside Delaney Hall enter sixth consecutive day

Demonstrations outside the facility intensified this week as protesters gathered near the center demanding its closure and calling attention to conditions inside the 1,000-bed detention complex.

Federal officials said tensions escalated Tuesday after two protesters were arrested during clashes with law enforcement officers.

According to DHS, the two individuals allegedly assaulted ICE officers and sprayed an unknown chemical substance toward federal agents during the confrontation.

At the same time, activists and several Democratic lawmakers continued backing claims that detainees launched both a hunger strike and labor strike last week over conditions inside the facility.

Protesters alleged detainees were dealing with spoiled food, inadequate medical care and a lack of air conditioning inside the detention center.

The standoff outside Delaney Hall has quickly turned into a larger political fight over immigration enforcement and detention policies, especially as Democratic leaders in New Jersey publicly joined demonstrators near the site.

New Jersey Democrats criticize federal response during protests

Several prominent New Jersey Democrats appeared alongside protesters outside the detention center this week and condemned the federal response to the demonstrations.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim both criticized the actions of federal agents after tensions erupted outside the facility.

Kim said he was pepper-sprayed during a confrontation involving ICE agents and demonstrators near Delaney Hall.

Mullin, however, accused sanctuary city politicians and Democratic officials of siding with illegal aliens and protesters rather than supporting immigration enforcement efforts.

The Homeland Security secretary argued that some local leaders were actively undermining federal immigration operations by refusing to cooperate with ICE and other federal authorities.

Markwayne Mullin floats possible action against sanctuary cities

As the protests continued, Mullin also suggested the federal government could take retaliatory steps against sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement policies.

During recent public appearances and social media posts, he floated the possibility of restricting airport operations in cities that continue resisting federal immigration directives.

While Mullin defended Delaney Hall as a secure detention center housing criminal illegal aliens, immigrant advocacy organizations and protesters continued demanding the facility be shut down.

The dispute surrounding the Newark detention center now appears far from over, with both sides digging in as protests continue outside the facility and political tensions over immigration enforcement grow even louder.