EXCLUSIVE: GOP Lawmaker Blasts Dems Over 'Five-Star' Demands for Migrants at Newark ICE Facility
EXCLUSIVE: Standing at the center of a growing confrontation outside an ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey Republican lawmaker Paul Kanitra accused Democrats of pushing for what he described as “five-star accommodations” for illegal immigrants — a charge that has reignited the national debate over immigration enforcement before the 2024 election.
Kanitra, a state assemblyman, spoke with Fox News Digital near Delaney Hall, where anti-ICE protesters have been camped out for days. He pointed directly at top Democrats including Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, who recently joined demonstrators outside the facility, calling their stance a “disgrace.”
“Democrats created this chaos with all their laws,” Kanitra said. He noted that Sherrill, shortly after taking office, signed three bills that he said protect illegal immigrant status, unmask ICE agents, and expand benefits — moves he argued opened the door to the current standoff.
Protesters and some Democratic officials allege detainees at Delaney Hall have launched a hunger strike over inhumane conditions. However, the Department of Homeland Security has denied those claims, stating that a certified dietitian reviews all meals and that detainees receive three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. DHS also said ICE facilities meet higher standards than many U.S. prisons holding American citizens.
Kanitra called Sherrill's visit to the facility a “performative stunt” designed to shift blame from Democratic policies. He pointed out that the food service provider at Delaney Hall is the same one that services luxury suites at MetLife Stadium — home of the New York Giants and Jets. “It seems to be good enough for those guys, so I assume it's good enough for our illegal invaders behind us,” he said, gesturing toward the facility.
Still, Kanitra said he agrees that all elected officials should have access to inspect any ICE facility — not because conditions are bad, he argued, but because such visits would “debunk these crazed claims.” He referenced DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ prior statements calling allegations “baseless.”
The confrontation at Delaney Hall highlights the deepening partisan rift over immigration, an issue that polls show remains a top concern for voters. Republicans are using the standoff to paint Democrats as soft on border security, while Democrats frame their push as a human rights issue.
One protester, Diana Tabor, who is Black, told Fox News Digital that she finds the conditions inside “very unfair” and questioned the ethics of ICE agents who “look like us,” calling their role “a betrayal.” Tabor described the protesters as a coalition of advocacy groups and nonprofits prepared to stay “until justice is served.”
“There is credibility in protecting the American people,” Tabor said. “But I believe there are different ways to go about it — not kidnapping people, not putting them in overcrowded detention centers. We need to find a better way.”
She added that resources should be focused on actual criminals, not on “profiling people based on what they look like,” and called for a “happy medium between protecting human rights and protecting the country.”
DHS has publicly rebuffed the hunger strike claims and noted that detainees have access to phones, legal counsel, and basic necessities. Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill and Booker for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Original article source: Fox News Digital