The Stories From ICE’s Delaney Hall Are Stomach-Turning - The Bulwark

Summary4 min read

The Bulwark Podcast: “The Stories From ICE’s Delaney Hall Are Stomach-Turning”

Date: June 3, 2026
Host: The Bulwark
Theme:
A close examination of the disturbing conditions inside Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, and the intense protests—including firsthand accounts from public officials—unfolding outside its gates. The host draws on recent reporting, particularly from Moira Donegan, to paint a vivid and unsettling picture of what’s happening behind closed doors.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the dire situation at Delaney Hall, a privately-run ICE detention facility, as reported by journalists and activists. It discusses the conditions detainees face, the responses of authorities and contractors, and the confrontational environment outside the facility where community members, activists, and public officials—such as Senator Andy Kim—are clashing with ICE and pro-facility demonstrators.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opaque Nature of Delaney Hall and Broader ICE Facilities

Delaney Hall is referred to as a “black box” due to limited access and scant first-hand reporting.
The host notes that conditions at ICE facilities nationwide often remain murky due to lack of transparency.

“It’s kind of tough to get a read on the situation because so few people have gotten into the facility and in some ways it’s kind of a black box.”
[00:16]

2. Conditions Inside: Reporting from Moira Donegan

The episode heavily references Moira Donegan’s Guardian column which synthesizes known facts about Delaney Hall:
- Spoiled food—“sometimes has maggots”
- Forced labor for “about a dollar a day”
- Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions
- Limited and inadequate medical care
- Allegations of physical abuse—beatings and pepper spray use.
The operator, GEO Group, has admitted to at least one “physical altercation” involving “limited use of chemical agents.”

“How’s that for a fancy euphemism?”
[01:03]

3. Detainee Protests Inside: Labor and Hunger Strikes

Detainees have organized strikes in protest of their treatment, aiming to draw attention to the “inhumane conditions.”
[01:09]

4. Protests & Clashes Outside the Facility

Outside Delaney Hall, a highly charged mix of anti-ICE protesters, pro-MAGA counterprotesters, local police, and media collide.
New Jersey Senator Andy Kim joined protesters and was subjected to police force, including pepper balls and spray.
- Protesters and even elected officials have been on the receiving end of these tactics.
  [01:33]

5. Senator Andy Kim’s Firsthand Experience (Interview with Chris Hayes)

“I put myself between the ICE agents and the protesters... that’s when they started shooting pepper balls at our feet as well as, you know, right past me...”
—Senator Andy Kim, [02:26]

“I did my best to try to keep people safe, to try to de-escalate and keep the crowd and the agents separate. But, you know, myself and a number of others certainly saw it, got... irritation in our eyes. My throat was burning.”
—Andy Kim, [02:50]

“The ease with which it seems like violence is emerging in our streets in America, we cannot normalize this... it should not be inevitable.”
—Andy Kim, [03:11]

6. Media Narratives and Escalation by Authorities

The host draws parallels to similar protests at ICE sites in Minnesota, Portland, and New Orleans, highlighting a pattern of escalation.
Suggests that some officials may have incentives to provoke confrontation, feeding polarized media ecosystems:

“I think at least some folks from DHS, ICBP want to escalate, want the confrontation... as a way to inflame. Because, whereas we are here in Earth one talking about the horrible, inhumane conditions... over there in Earth 2, YouTube, you have all these MAGA folks doing videos... about the antifa rioters and the unamerican pro immigrant socialist communists...”
[03:31]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Describing Facility Conditions:

“The food is spoiled and sometimes has maggots. Those who are imprisoned there, who have not been convicted of any crime, are forced to work for about a dollar a day...”
—Host quoting Moira Donegan, [00:44]
Institutional Denial vs. Evidence:

“DHS has denied allegations of mistreatment, but GEO Group issued a statement... admitting to at least one instance of physical altercation that included limited use of chemical agents.”
—Host, [00:54]
Direct Political Action:

“Senator Kim was one of those [pepper-sprayed]. Let’s listen to him describe that experience...”
—Host, [01:57]
Concerns Over Violence:

“The ease with which it seems like violence is emerging in our streets in America, we cannot normalize this violence… it should not be inevitable.”
—Senator Andy Kim, [03:11]

Important Timestamps

00:16: The host describes difficulty in accessing the facility and national pattern.
00:44: Quoting Moira Donegan’s report on inhumane conditions.
01:09: Description of hunger and labor strikes inside Delaney Hall.
01:33: Summary of protests outside featuring police, pro- and anti-ICE groups.
02:26 – 03:11: Senator Andy Kim’s firsthand account of police violence against protesters, his efforts to de-escalate, and broader worries about normalization of violence.
03:31: The host links the events to broader trends of official escalation and polarization in media coverage.

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is urgent, critical, and deeply concerned with the erosion of humane standards in immigration enforcement, both in terms of detainee treatment and the normalization of aggression in managing public dissent. The Bulwark’s approach is fact-driven but impassioned, highlighting the disconnect between on-the-ground reality and both official statements and polarized media narratives.

Summary prepared for listeners wanting a clear-eyed account of both conditions inside Delaney Hall ICE facility and the political and social turmoil now unfolding at its gates.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:00]
A
All right, y', all, I've been monitoring the situation at Delaney Hall ICE facility in New Jersey and been hearing from some of you all who have as well. And look, it's kind of tough to get a read on the situation because so few people have gotten into the facility and in some ways it's kind of a black box. There's a problem at ICE facilities around the country. I know it's something my colleague Adrian Carrasquillo is looking into and hopefully you're going to have some more reporting on. But I did read this pretty striking Guardian column by Moira Donegan that encapsulated the best of what we do know and kind of put it together. And so I want to run through that with you to just show you how, like, nightmarish the situation is for the migrant detainees at Delaney hall in New Jersey. And then obviously there's then the protest situation and all the other elements are happening outside the facility. So first, here is Donegan at Delaney hall, an ICE detention camp for captured immigrants in Newark, New Jersey, operated privately by the for profit contractor GEO Group. The food is spoiled and sometimes has maggots. Those who are imprisoned there who have not been convicted of any crime are forced to work for about a dollar a day. Conditions are overcrowded and unsanitary. There is only limited and inadequate medical care. Those inside say they're being beaten and pepper sprayed. Sound familiar? The DHS has denied allegations of mistreatment, but GEO Group issued a statement last week admitting to at least one instance of physical altercation that included limited use of chemical agents. How's that for a fancy euphemism? She goes on. Immigrants inside Delaney hall have organized a labor strike and a hunger strike, trying to call attention to the inhumane conditions they're being held in. And then outside, immigration force members, local police and a group of pro maga locals who have gathered to show their support for the concentration camp have clashed with anti ICE protesters, including New Jersey Senator Andy Kim. And those protesters have gathered there for more than a week to show their support for the striking prisoners. The protesters say they've been pepper sprayed too. And Senator Kim was one of those. Let's listen to him describe that experience with my msnow colleague, Chris Hayes.
[02:26]
B
I put myself between the ICE agents and the protesters. At some point, ICE officials said they're just going to push this convoy of vehicles through the crowd. And I told them, you cannot just plow your way through a crowd of civilians. I tried to stop it, tried to find an arrangement, but they continued on. So I put myself again between the agents and the crowd and that's when they started shooting pepper balls at our feet as well as, you know, right past me seeing the pepper spray. I did my best to try to keep people safe, to try to de escalate and keep the crowd and the agents separate. But you know, myself and a number of others certainly saw it got, you know, irritation in our eyes. My throat was burning. It was something that was really painful to watch. I mean, Chris, I'll tell you, like I have to say that the ease with which it seems like violence is emerging in our streets in America, we cannot normalize this violence in America should not be easy, it should not be inevitable. And this is something that I'm worried is going to continue on in the coming days.
[03:32]
A
You know, this is similar to what we've seen at a lot of these other facilities. Did interview with protesters obviously in Minnesota. Did interview with protesters outside Portland when Visitor visited those here in New Orleans. And there continues to be, I think, a sense that, that at least some folks from dhs, ICBP want to escalate, want the confrontation with Senator Kim, like want these sorts of things as a way to inflame. Because whereas like we are here in Earth one talking about the horrible inhumane conditions that are happening inside these detention centers over there in Earth 2, YouTube, you have all these MAGA folks doing videos that find the craziest looking person outside the detention center and they're doing videos about the antifa rioters and the unamerican pro immigrant socialist communists that are threatening the country. And so there's kind of this incentive to.