BREAKING: Mussab Ali, Along with U.S. Senator Andy Kim, Attacked and Tear Gassed; ICE Violently Breaks Up Protest at Delaney Hall

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Mussab Ali, in solidarity with detainees on hunger strike at Delaney Hall, joined hundreds of protesters to prevent the transfer and forced deportation of detainees. After negotiations between U.S. Senator Andy Kim, Delaney Hall officials, and protesters broke down, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers violently dispersed the crowd using tear gas and pepper spray.

Ali had joined the protests over several days, both to protest conditions at Delaney Hall and the unlawful detention of hundreds of immigrants inside the facility. In particular, he stood against the singling out of Martin Soto, a Kearny resident and leader among the detainees on hunger strike. The protests were peaceful until today.

In the early afternoon, ICE officers appeared en masse alongside several cars and an armored vehicle. Concerned that officers would attempt to transfer detainees out of Delaney Hall, Ali joined a chain of protesters to block the vehicles from leaving the facility. At one point, an ICE officer picked up Ali and violently removed him from the chain.

Elected officials—including U.S. Senator Andy Kim and U.S. Representatives Nellie Pou and Frank Pallone—arrived to defuse tensions between protesters and ICE. A proposal was made to allow the vehicles to leave the facility with Senator Kim and a representative from the protesters observing that no detainees were on board. ICE officials then used the breakdown in negotiations as cover to push the crowd back and move their vehicles while some protesters pushed forward. One protester was forcibly arrested and pinned to the ground by an ICE officer.

At that point, ICE officers deployed tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Ali was struck in the face by one of the canisters. Refusing to back down, he remained with the protesters until the protest leaders called for a retreat. Senator Kim was also present in the crowd when the tear gas was released. The vehicles then sped away without being inspected for detainees. Ali, like many protesters, needed several minutes to recover.

"ICE is a lawless agency that must be abolished. Delaney Hall must be shut down. I stand in solidarity with all the families," said Ali.