4 detainees escaped from a Newark ICE detention facility after advocates say poor conditions led to ‘chaos’

CNN Four detainees have escaped from a federal immigration detention center in New Jersey which has been the center of protests since its opening in May and where both a sitting congresswoman and Newark s mayor have been arrested The detainees were held at Delaney Hall a privately owned -bed facility Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center Lawmakers and demonstrators have protested outside the facility calling for more oversight and criticizing President Donald Trump s crackdown on immigration The Department of Homeland Protection and the FBI are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the escapees who were described as society safety threats in a news release announcing the reward The release names the escapees as Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes The Honduran national was arrested for aggravated assault attempt to cause bodily injury terroristic threats and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes DHS explained He entered the US in and was arrested in May according to the release Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez The Honduran national entered the US as a minor in and was arrested for unlawful possession of a handgun last year and for aggravated assault in May DHS commented Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada He is a Colombian national who entered the US in and was arrested for burglary theft and conspiracy to commit burglary in May DHS mentioned Andres Pineda-Mogollon The Colombian national overstayed his visa and entered the US in DHS disclosed He was arrested in April for petit larceny and last month he was arrested for residential burglary conspiracy residential burglary and possession of burglary tools the agency declared CNN has not yet identified whether the escapees have legal representation and has reached out to local police departments for more information on each escapee s episode DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin reported additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees and a BOLO has been disseminated She also encouraged the inhabitants to call or the ICE Tip Line -DHS- -ICE with any information that may lead to finding the escapees The escape comes amid escalating nationwide protests against federal immigration enforcement In response to the demonstrations which started in downtown Los Angeles and were prompted by immigration raids Trump has federalized the National Guard against the wishes of California Gov Gavin Newsom More protests are expected over the weekend including more than No Kings anti-Trump demonstrations planned across all states Chaos at privately-owned detention facility The detainees breached precaution at Delaney Hall on Thursday DHS declared While the agency stated there has been no widespread unrest at the facility federal and local police officers responded to reports of a fight according to an immigration advocate who was at the facility Amy Torres executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice explained CNN she heard from family members of detainees inside Delaney Hall the commotion began Thursday after the detainees had been fed insufficient lunch after going more than hours without food Torres disclosed Friday advocates have learned chronic food shortages undrinkable water crumbling mesh walls and inadequate staffing led to the chaos that occurred Thursday This should be the last day that GEO Group is allowed to do business in New Jersey she added referring to the private corporation that owns the detention facility Like Torres Democratic Sen Cory Booker similarly described conditions at the facility as untenable and called for the DHS to take immediate action to improve the conditions in a post on X Multiple members of Congress representing New Jersey including Democratic Rep LaMonica McIver who was arrested at Delaney Hall in May called on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability to launch an immediate review into reports of disturbing healing of detainees at the facility according to a letter obtained by CNN DHS declared the facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services including around-the-clock access to health care in-person and virtual legal and family visitation general and legal library access translation services dietician-approved meals religious and specialty diets recreational amenities and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs in its declaration about the reward for information Newark Mayor Ras Baraka noted the latest reports about the matter show the detainees escaped by kicking through an interior wall in a post on X He stated the city had never received permit applications from GEO Group to build an interior wall which would have prompted inspections This chaotic outcome is exactly why the City has ordinances requiring all facilities including this ICE facility to apply for the proper permits he wrote This circumstance is yet another outrageous validation of the negative consequences of a federal executive that believes it is above the prudence and practicality of working within legal parameters and encourages reckless operations of its collaborators he added The city formally filed a complaint against ICE use of the facility in March claiming the agency hadn t followed proper building safety protocols Baraka previously revealed in a report to X he was concerned about reports of what transpired at Delaney Hall this evening ranging from withholding food and poor cure to uprising and escaped detainees This entire situation lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail Baraka went on This is why city executives and our congressional delegation need to be allowed entry to observe and monitor and why private prisons pose a very real predicament to our state and its constitution On Friday another protest took place at the facility Protesters clashed with ICE agents after shaking and kicking at the fencing outside the building according to video obtained by CNN The video shows officers holding weapons pushing and shoving protesters onto the ground and yelling at them to leave At one point officers were filmed restraining and carrying one demonstrator Mayor congresswoman arrested at facility last month Last month several Democratic politicians protesting the facility s opening clashed with federal agents Baraka was arrested for trespassing and held in custody for several hours but the charge was later dropped The mayor is now suing New Jersey s top federal prosecutor over his arrest Stemming from the same case McIver was also charged with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers a rare federal charge against a sitting member of Congress and indicted by a grand jury Tuesday McIver says the charges are baseless The escape follows several high-profile jailbreaks in the past month Two inmates are still on the run after a group of escaped from a New Orleans jail and a former police chief convicted on rape and murder charges escaped from an Arkansas prison before being recaptured earlier this month