NEWARK - We are on a collision course, said Larry Hamm, who was out there today in front of Delaney Hall with other members of his organization, the People's Organization for Progress, witnessing the feds' denial of Governor Mikie Sherrill's access to the detention center.

"This is a faceoff between state and federal authority and the hot breath of fascism is on our necks," Hamm told InsiderNJ.

The lifelong justice activist paid specific attention to Governor Mikie Sherrill's inability to gain access to Delaney Hall.

"That was a profound moment," said Hamm. "Could you have imagined such a profound moment? I was standing next to her, beside [Senator] Andy Kim, when she learned that she couldn't go in. What a danger that moment symbolizes. Think about it. How did the Civil War start? The Civil War started with disagreements between states. It started because of a struggle about whether states would be admitted as free or slave."

Hamm saw too the appearance outside the barbed wire front gates of Delaney Hall of masked ICE agents, directly contravening the law of New Jersey, which forbids law enforcement from wearing masks.

"They're doing what we projected," said Hamm. "I've always felt that [President Donald] Trump's attempt to repress opposition to his policies would continue to intensify. I have no expectation, between now and whenever he leaves, of him taking his foot off the accelerator. We are going to see increasing levels of repression, brutality, and even greater impunity as far as not obeying the law. We're going to see more - not less. This is on a trajectory, and anybody who saw what happened on Jan. 6th should be able to see there is a thru line from there to here.

"This is how fascists behave," Hamm added. "Based on what I see, you call it what you want, it's all moving toward dictatorship. It's a very serious situation, and I'm with those who think we may not get to the elections in 2026. What we see today in front of Delaney Hall will be happening in essence throughout America."

Hamm sees a militarized response to dissent and the mobilization of ICE agents - masked, in defiance of New Jersey law - impairing the right to vote.