Protesters in Newark demand Biden close ICE detention centers, do more on climate

NEWARK — Protesters took to the streets on Friday to address two of the hot-button issues of the day: immigration and climate change.

A march that started at Gateway Center near Penn Station and ended with a rally at the Peter Rodino Federal Building on Broad Street was part of a National Day of Action calling on the Biden administration to shut down all immigration detention centers − including New Jersey's last one, in Elizabeth, which has remained open amid a legal challenge. The protesters called on the administration to release all immigrants being held in detention around the U.S., and to end deportations. The effort mirrored marches held Friday in several cities, including New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

New Jersey activists had been rallying in the summer to shut down the Elizabeth Detention Center, the last detention center in New Jersey used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.) The facility can house up to 300 people.

Last month, a federal court judge upheld a preliminary injunction sought by prison company CoreCivic against a state ban that would have forced it to close the center. Gov. Phil Murphy and the state's attorney general, Matthew Platkin, are appealing the court's decision. Meanwhile, CoreCivic and ICE reached a contract extension for the company to continue to operate the center for another year at a price of $19.9 million.

ICE detainee speaks

About 30 protesters at the rally heard from Juan Regalado, who resides in Princeton with his wife and three children, and said he was detained in the Elizabeth Detention Center for nearly seven months after he did a required check-in with ICE in January 2019.

Regalado, with the assistance of a translator, said through tears that he suffered through servings of poor food and unsanitary conditions and fear that he would be deported to his home country of Honduras. At one point, he pulled up his shirt to show his back, which he said was scarred from his time at the EDC. Regalado was released from the center in July 2019.

Regalado told NorthJersey.com after he spoke that he was not given a medical opinion about why he was scarred, but he believed it was from the mold and dirt on the mattress he slept on.

"It was a completely unforgettable experience for me. To think about how I would never see my daughters again, my family, and if I was to return to my home country I would be killed," Regalado said.

CoreCivic did not respond directly to questions from NorthJersey.com about the Newark protest, the call for the closing of the centers or Regalado's story.

Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for the Tennessee-based company, said "CoreCivic does not enforce immigration laws or policies or have any say whatsoever in an individual's deportation or release."

But Gustin disputed Regalado's comments about the conditions at the EDC, "The safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care is CoreCivic's top priority," he said. "At Elizabeth and all of our facilities, we provide three nutritious meals a day that staff members also often eat."

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He referred all other queries on immigration policy and Regalado's stay to ICE. Christine Cuttita, an agency spokesperson, did not respond to questions sent on Friday.

The Newark protest also doubled as a demand for the federal government to stop any new oil and gas drilling on public land, cited as having a significant impact on climate change. It was held in advance of Sunday's March to End Fossil Fuels and the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit scheduled for Wednesday, both occurring in New York City.

Immigrant advocates and environmentalists were side by side marching through downtown Newark for a half-hour while holding banners and signs stumping for their causes.

After they reached the Federal Building, the location of the Newark ICE office, speakers criticized President Joe Biden, who they said did not keep his 2020 presidential campaign promise of a more humane immigration policy than under former President Donald Trump, who accelerated immigrant detentions. They also complained that Biden has failed to do enough to address climate issues.

Teaneck activist Paula Rogovin, during the rally, called on the federal government to stop approving fossil fuel projects. She spoke to NorthJersey.com about the connection between the issues at the forefront of Friday’s action.

"A lot of immigration is related to climate change issues. There's drought and farmers can't grow their crops," Rogovin said. "There's mass migration because of climate change and we have to work together on the issues."

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark NJ protest demands Joe Biden close ICE detention center