AFPI-NJ Condemns Violence at Delaney Hall, Calls for Order and Support for Federal Officers
TRENTON, NJ - The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) New Jersey Chapter today responded to the ongoing violence and unrest outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, where demonstrators and out-of-state instigators have viciously targeted federal agents and New Jersey State Police over the past week, leading to arrests, the assault of officers, threats against the families of law enforcement, and a curfew for the half-mile around Delaney Hall.
Michael John Donohue, Chair of AFPI's New Jersey Chapter, said:
“What we’re watching outside Delaney Hall is not a protest; it’s a mob. Federal officers are being bitten, pelted, and shoved for doing the exact job the law asks of them. Every New Jerseyan should be able to agree on one thing: you don’t get to assault a law enforcement officer because you don’t like the law he’s enforcing. The detainees inside that facility are there because they have broken the law — full stop. It’s long past time our elected officials stopped feeding the chaos and started backing the men and women in uniform.”
Matthew Rooney, Executive Director of AFPI New Jersey, added:
“When local leaders treat federal immigration enforcement as something shameful, they hand a permission slip to bad actors who want to hurt our police . New Jersey families want safe streets and a justice system that works; as we’re witnessing in real time at Delaney Hall, 'sanctuary statehood' produces the exact opposite. We can have an honest debate about immigration in this country, but not while officers are being attacked. Prosecute those who assault them, restore order in Newark, and let our courageous agents finish the job that they volunteered to do.”
Learn more about AFPI New Jersey here.
Michael Donohue is the AFPI New Jersey Chair and a retired New Jersey Superior Court judge who served in the Criminal Division.
Matthew Rooney is the AFPI New Jersey Executive Director and a practicing New Jersey attorney with 15 years of experience serving as a municipal prosecutor.
Both are available for interviews. Click here to schedule.