While immigration activists and Democratic lawmakers claim there’s a hunger strike causing turmoil at an ICE detention center in New Jersey, The Daily Wire has learned that the narrative may be far from the reality.
The Delaney Hall detainees engaging in a purported “hunger strike” are opting to not eat their regular meals while going to the commissary to purchase snacks instead, according to a source familiar with the situation. Meanwhile, activist groups are claiming that detainees are being fed spoiled food and meals contaminated with worms.
Democratic New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone recently called for the facility’s closure over concerns about possible retaliation against “hunger strikers,” “all because they were advocating for better food, access to basic medical care, and judicial hearings.”
“Delaney Hall is a disgrace to our country,” he said.
The source said the commissary snack store has seen an “increase in sales and detainees maxing out on items they can purchase weekly.”
So-called hunger strikes like the one playing out at Delaney Hall are all too common in ICE detention centers and the playbook is usually the same, former ICE New York field office deputy director Scott Mechkowski told The Daily Wire.
“I’ve seen real hunger strikes during my time as an ICE official, managing detention facilities. What’s happening at Delaney Hall is not a hunger strike,” Mechkowski said.
“When detainees are buying up Honey Buns and Snickers bars, and those with money are helping others get snacks, that’s not a hunger strike, it’s just a publicity stunt,” he added.
Dozens of protestors clashed with federal agents Thursday night and into Friday morning as demonstrations calling for the release of detainees from the Newark facility continued. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agitators “bit, kicked, and punched” federal officers and that Democratic New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill “refused to allow state police to assist our officers.”
Today, I visited the Delaney Hall Detention Facility for congressional oversight.
Detainees have been on strike since last Friday, demanding humane conditions after reports of spoiled foods, freezing temperatures, and inadequate medical care.
Every person deserves dignity,… pic.twitter.com/ET1k4S6kHR
— Adriano Espaillat (@RepEspaillat) May 27, 2026
My staff is on the ground at Delaney Hall following reports of retaliation against hunger strikers including pepper spraying and beating detainees.
At least two ambulances have been seen entering the facility.
This brutality must stop immediately.
I call on Leader… pic.twitter.com/0VNTLFyGMS
— Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (@RepBonnie) May 28, 2026
Mullin characterized the complaints about the food and conditions inside the facility as “political theater.”
“This isn’t a Holiday Inn, we’re not providing luxury housing, what we’re doing is we’re providing a sanitary place for them to be detained,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Thursday.
“We’re providing them three meals a day, we’re meeting the calorie standard … they have commissary, if you want to put money on their books, put money on their books … but not only are we providing them a safe place to stay and food and a place to sleep, but we’re also giving them a convenience store to be able to buy products out of.”
The New Jersey State Health Department inspected the detention center and its “food service department” Thursday morning, according to Mullin. Their findings have not been released.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded to The Daily Wire’s requests for comment.
