New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Sunday the Department of Homeland Security agreed to restore family visitation at Delaney Hall, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center where people have been protesting for more than a week. 

Visitation had been suspended at the Newark facility amid protests claiming detainees are not getting proper food and medical care, allegations that DHS denies.  

Sherrill said limited visitation was to resume at noon Sunday, with regular visitation hours starting Monday. 

“Law enforcement will help escort families into the facility. It is critical that outside actors allow this to happen safely,” the governor wrote in a post on X. 

Tension boils over at Delaney Hall

Sherrill’s announcement came hours after tension boiled over Saturday for a second straight night, as New Jersey State Police shot multiple rounds of tear gas into the crowd of protesters.

“Violent, chaotic clashes hurt everyone. They put the lives of both protesters and law enforcement in danger. They take the focus away from people inside Delaney Hall and their families. And they raise the temperature with ICE. I will ensure public safety and I refuse to give ICE an excuse to surge into our communities,” Sherrill said Sunday.

In response to the latest unrest, Newark’s mayor enacted a 9 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew going forward in the area of Delaney Hall. 

“To the people coming from out of state to create chaos and dangerous situations, you should not be here. You are not helping the people detained at Delaney Hall, you’re not helping detainee families, and you’re certainly not keeping New Jersey safe,” Sherrill said at a news conference following Friday night’s protests.  

The governor continued her call for peaceful demonstrations and urged outside agitators to stay home. 

“I do not know why these individuals attacked or what they wanted to accomplish, but I refuse to let these dangerous actions detract from New Jersey’s dedication to ensuring public safety, keeping people safe from ICE, and that the people detained inside Delaney Hall are treated with dignity,” she said.

DHS denies alleged mistreatment of detainees

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and New Jersey Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., LaMonica McIver and Josh Gottheimer conducted an oversight visit Sunday at Delaney Hall.

Jeffries later released a statement saying, in part, “The conditions of confinement we witnessed firsthand and discussed with approximately two dozen detainees at the Delaney Hall detention center shock the conscience,” adding, “Immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, just and humane. The Trump administration is doing the exact opposite.”

DHS has said detainees are getting three meals a day and access to comprehensive medical care, and denies claims of a hunger strike inside Delaney Hall.

“These sanctuary politicians need to stop with the political theatre. No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been better treated than illegal aliens. They are provided 3 meals a day, medical care, and receive full due process,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement to CBS News New York.