Forty NJ Grassroots and Faith Groups Call on Governor Sherrill for Bold Action on Delaney Hall Crisis and Appreciate Initial Steps

Camden County, NJ- On Monday June 1, 2026, Cooper River Indivisible and NJ Voters Want More Say, Indivisible, two allied Indivisible groups in Camden County, initiated a letter to Governor Sherrill to demonstrate the deep concern among New Jersey citizens’ groups about the escalating crisis at Delaney Hall and to urge her to more bold action.

“It was inconceivable to us that no substantial actions by our state government seemed to be underway to address serious complaints of inhumane treatment and lack of due process by desperate detainees on a hunger strike in a private prison in our state,” said Vikki Toomer, member of Cooper River Indivisible’s leadership team. “Our goal was to amplify the demands of the detainees in their support and in support of their families and all of the immigrant justice groups already fighting for them, like Cosecha, Eyes on ICE NJ, and many others.”

The letter was presented to staff members of Gov. Sherrill’s office on Monday with eight initial groups signed on, and that number grew to 40 groups from across state networks.

“As leaders of the two groups that authored this letter, we don’t presume to speak for all groups who signed, but we welcome Thursday’s new announcement of increased aid for legal defense, as well as the initiation of the lawsuit by Attorney General Davenport to get full access for Department of Health inspectors, and the Governor’s visit to hear from families,” said Marie HenselderKimmel, leader of NJ Voters Want More Say. “We’ll be watching closely for further action on the many pending issues to be addressed and hopefully resulting in the release of every detainee and closure of Delaney.”

Letter:
June 1, 2026
Governor Sherrill,

As the leaders of New Jersey grassroots activist groups, we are deeply alarmed about the human rights and civil rights violations happening within our state at Delaney Hall Detention Center, Newark, NJ. Deplorable conditions inside the center are being protested by detainees with an ongoing hunger strike and labor strike since May 22, as you are well aware.

We are in solidarity and repeat the demands of the detainees to
1. Allow Governor Sherrill to meet with detainees to observe the conditions
2. Release vulnerable detainees, the elderly, pregnant people, young people, and those with medical conditions
3. Provide meaningful review of their cases and habeas filings
4. Stop coercive pressure to sign deportation and voluntary departure documents

We have additional concerns about how a facility in our state of New Jersey is being run in such an inhumane manner.
A private prison corporation is conducting business inside Delaney and making large profits with a $1billion contract paid by our tax dollars. If any other entity in New Jersey had reports from our Senator and multiple members of our Congressional delegation with the details of the violations of the detainees’ rights and common decency, a search warrant with probable cause and legal investigation would quickly ensue. Our New Jersey state laws are not suspended in that locale and must be enforced immediately. There is no federal or constitutional basis for ignoring the sovereignty of New Jersey state power. We want you to use that power since you have the ultimate executive authority in our state. A full year of asking nicely or negotiating with federal agencies has failed to correct their unconstitutional misconduct over the course of the last year. It is time to use the tools of state sovereignty that New Jersey does possess. We expect more bold action in defense of the sovereignty of New Jersey and our fellow New Jerseyans to close Delaney Hall and any other facility being run in an unsanitary and inhumane manner.

We implore you to speak directly with the families and protesters present at Delaney to understand the truth about the alarming conduct of New Jersey State Police and Newark over this weekend. Your statements in press conferences have not reflected the truth of video documentation of the interactions between protesters and law enforcement. Our members were present as a peaceful protest was met with actions by the police that escalated to police brutality. We fully support action against the violent agitators that did violate the law, but vehemently disagree with treating citizens in peaceful assembly with militaristic riot control tactics. We expect you to protect the civil rights of those advocating for the detainees and the press present to document the situation for the public.

We expect to see the satisfaction of the detainees’ demands as soon as possible, as well as your assertive action to honor our first amendment rights, cease police brutality and to enable the closure of Delaney Hall. As the grassroots who campaigned for you, we also expect ongoing communication with your administration to navigate this perilous time in New Jersey.

Signed,

Cooper River Indivisible
NJ Voters Want More Say, Indivisible
Indivisible Princeton
Riverton Democrats
SJ NOW Indivisible
Plainfields Area Indivisible
Indivisible Somerset County
The Lantern League and Bridges to Unity
Project NINJA
Indivisible Cranbury
Rutherford Indivisible
Riverton and Cherry Hill Visibility Brigades
Team No Nonsense
Palisades Take Action Team
Religious Action Ctr, NJ
Riv Dems
Merchantville Democratic Committee
Montville Rising
Action Together Gloucester County
Knitty Gritty Jersey City
CT Visibility Brigade
National Organization for Women
New Jersey Tenants Organization
Cape May County Indivisible
Northern NJ NOW
North Jersey SIerra Group
Solidarity SIngers of the New Jersey State Industrial Union Council
Projects for Environmental Health, Knowledge, & Action, Inc
Hunterdon Bridge Club & Visibility Brigade
Hackettstown Drinking Liberally
Morristown Visibility Brigade
Lawrence Citizen Activists, Indivisible
Cherry Hill Democratic Committee
Jersey Shore Blue
VB Montville Rising
Coalition for Peace Action
Action Together New Jersey
Beacon UU Congregation
New Jersey Poor People’s Campaign
The Reformed Church of Highland Park
Third Act NJ
[finalized as of June 3, 6:00pm]
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COOPER RIVER INDIVISIBLE is a grassroots organization focused on advancing progressive policy at every level of government. We support and mobilize our members to take action on a wide range of projects that build power, care for our community, and create real change.

NJ VOTERS WANT MORE SAY, INDIVISIBLE is a grassroots organization for democracy reform to give more power to NJ voters.