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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin ripped into Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other Democrats over what he called a “political stunt” during Memorial Day weekend after they demanded access to a New Jersey U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility they allege has inhumane conditions.
Mullin, who was a Republican senator until recently, bashed his former Senate colleague and other Democrats, writing in an X post that “this is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks.”
Anti-ICE protesters and authorities clashed Monday outside a New Jersey detention facility where critics allege illegal immigrants are being held in appalling conditions. Sherrill attempted to gain access to the building but was refused entry, according to local reports. After the incident, Democrats, including Booker, rallied around Sherrill, criticizing ICE and the facility on social media.
In response, Mullin wrote, “There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are no subprime conditions.”
ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS CLASH WITH AGENTS OUTSIDE NEW JERSEY DETENTION CENTER AS GOV. SHERRILL DENIED ENTRY
He called out Booker, Sherrill and other New Jersey Democrats, including Sen. Andy Kim and Reps. Rob Menendez and Nellie Pou.
“Dozens of New Jersey sanctuary politicians chose to spend their Memorial Day weekend smearing ICE law enforcement. They should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these murderers, pedophiles, rapists and drug traffickers from their state,” Mullin wrote.
“Would these sanctuary politicians like to house these criminals in their homes or have them as neighbors?” he continued. “We need these sanctuary politicians to stop peddling this garbage and cooperate with us to get these criminals out of their state.”
On Monday, Sherrill posted on X that she had attempted to enter Delaney Hall after hearing “heartbreaking” reports of unsafe and unconstitutional conditions. She wrote that her request to access the facility was “denied this morning, raising even more questions about what they are trying to hide from public view.”
NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI RELEASES AUDIT ACCUSING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS OF MISLEADING TACTICS
Booker, meanwhile, vowed to go to the ICE facility again, asserting the conditions there are “deplorable.”
Menendez posted that he had “spent all night” at the ICE facility after arriving to “conduct an unannounced oversight visit after hearing a constituent was facing potential transfer or deportation for his role in the recent strike.”
“I was denied entry, but I have remained on-site throughout the night,” he wrote on Monday, adding, “I was told that I would be able to go inside at 8 a.m., but ICE continues to deny entry. I will provide updates soon. Thank you to all the families and volunteers who have stood in solidarity throughout the night.”
Over Memorial Day weekend, protesters attempted to form a human chain outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. Some protesters threw water and yelled at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who detained several demonstrators, WPIX-TV reported.
Protesters and onlookers screamed at ICE agents, who ordered the crowd to move to a grassy area off the road. Agents and protesters stood face-to-face before the situation calmed down.
“No more ICE!” protesters chanted. Others shouted, “Free them all!”
NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI RELEASES AUDIT ACCUSING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS OF MISLEADING TACTICS
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DHS responded to the protests by publishing a statement saying certified dietitians evaluate meals and that all detainees are provided with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap and toiletries.
The agency added that detainees “also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers” and that “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill, Booker, Kim, Menendez and Pou for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report