Newark ICE protests continue — now Trump officials are threatening flights to NJ

⚠️ Homeland Security officials floated halting some international flights into Newark.

➡️ Protesters and detainees at Delaney Hall are demanding better conditions and due process.

🔴 The airport threat is weeks before World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in NJ.

NEWARK — After days of protesters rankling immigration agents at Delaney Hall, the new federal chief of Homeland Security threatened to ground international flights into New Jersey.

The idea of halting some flights at Newark Liberty International Airport comes weeks before World Cup matches at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Homeland Security threatens Newark flights amid Delaney Hall protests

Until recently, the crowd outside of the facility has largely consisted of loved ones hoping to visit a detainee and some volunteers. But over the weekend, protesters piled pieces of concrete and barriers to block the driveways out of the facility as they voiced hopes of stopping any transfers of detainees to other locations.

A hunger strike by 300 detainees objecting to inedible food and a lack of due process for their cases. White House border czar Tom Homan said in a TV interview that detainees would be force-fed “if it gets bad enough.”

The clashes have gotten national attention on cable TV news.

In an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity this week, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested that flights should be halted in Newark.

“We’re currently drawing up plans to say listen, in these sanctuary cities where the local radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to - to do our job and enforce federal laws. Then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their cities either,” Mullin said.

“Because they don’t want us to enforce immigration but they want us to process immigration at their facilities - nothing about that makes sense to me,” he said.

Detainees describe hunger strike and medical concerns inside Newark facility

On Monday, Mullin gave U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., access after the staff at the for-profit ICE facility initially rejected his request for a congressional oversight visit.

Kim spoke in person at Delaney Hall with an 18-year-old high school student. He also met with a pregnant woman, a separate woman who miscarried while in detention, and a man who has stage three lung cancer. Others had been arrested because they did not carry proper documents of legal status.

Read More: Outrage over Delaney Hall 'inhumane conditions' sparks protests

The Trump administration often describes detention centers as housing violent offenders. Many detainees, however, do not have a criminal record — some were picked up at supposed Green Card status meetings and other immigration court proceedings.

As of April 6, about 70% of 60,000 detainees nationwide did not have a criminal conviction, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

A year ago, a Camden County woman was finally released to home detention after two weeks in an ICE facility.

A popular Monmouth County chef was held for days before his release in November.

In February, a New Jersey woman and Trump supporter was detained by ICE, which also detained her Moroccan-born husband, keeping him locked up without conviction or criminal charge for two months.

ICE agents are also detaining individuals wanted for serious crimes in this country and in other nations.

Tempers flare between protesters, reporters and elected officials

This week, when a female Fox News reporter grabbed a protester’s shoulder and tried to interview the young woman on camera, the protester called the reporter a “Nazi b**ch.”

“And you have a dirty mouth. That’s just what we deal with,” the reporter said, continuing to stand next to the cursing woman as the camera rolled.

In another run-in, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J. 8th District, cursed off and gave a middle finger to a pro-ICE protester who kept asking about his dad — convicted former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez.

The Democrat ignored the man until he yelled, “Congressman, you helped kill Dayanara Cortes, congressman,” as seen on video taken by Yaakov Strasberg, who shared the exchange on X.

The 11-year-old and her mother were killed in an Ocean County crash; the man accused of driving drunk was an unauthorized immigrant from Mexico, as reported by Red Bank Green.

“Do you believe pregnant women should be in there right now?” Menendez asked, walking closer to the pro-ICE protester, who shot back, “yes.”

“They just have to sign a paper and they can go home.” the man said back.

After a bit of back and forth, the man again asked: “How’s your dad?”

“He’s fantastic, how about that? F*** you,” Menendez shot back, flipping his middle finger and calling the man a “dumbass.”

Menendez was with Kim for the same Sunday oversight visit to Delaney Hall.

"I welcome [Secretary Mullin] and our Republican colleagues to come to Delaney with me & see the pregnant women, high schoolers, & grandfathers being detained in abhorrent conditions. They are not criminals. This system is broken and it runs counter to our values. Our fight continues," he said while sharing an MS Now appearance to X on Wednesday.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also visited Delaney Hall on Wednesday.

"After seeing who is being held and the conditions under which they’re detained, I believe most Americans would agree that this facility is a moral stain on our community," he said in a statement posted on X.

"In fact, the majority of the people we encountered have NO criminal charges or the kind of violence or criminality that Donald Trump said he was going to be focusing his attention on. This is unacceptable to me."