Markwayne Mullin is Channeling Kristi Noem to Respond to the New Jersey ICE Hunger Strikes

It was only a matter of time, but Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin appears to be stepping into Kristi Noem’s shoes of departing DHS narratives from reality—and desperately trying to get every American to go with him. 

As of Friday, hundreds of detainees at an ICE facility in Newark, N.J., have been waging a hunger strike, just days after they sent an “SOS” letter out about the abysmal conditions they were facing. Reports of abuse include expired and inedible food full of worms; inadequate health care; and overcrowding. (Per ICE data, nearly 900 detainees have been at the facility since early April.) But this sort of gross mistreatment has become canon among ICE facilities operating under the Trump administration—and so has the denial about it that follows. 

“There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall,” Mullin tweeted Monday, amid protests unfolding outside the prison. “This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks.” I mean, I know he was already an election denier—but clearly, the man seems to be abandoning his creep-mode style of leading DHS.

Several lawmakers attempted to visit the Newark facility over the weekend—such as the state’s Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who said she was not allowed in when she went. “My request for access to Delaney Hall was formally denied this morning, raising serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view,” she told reporters. Sherrill was joined by other Dem. members of Congress, such as Reps. LaMonica McIver, Nellie Pou, Rob Menendez Jr., and Sen. Andy Kim—the latter of whom shared on social media that he, among other protesters, was sprayed with tear gas.

The armed agents pushed through the crowd, throwing several people onto the street. I ran over and stood between the ICE convoy and the crowd, trying to keep physical separation to prevent even more serious clashes. The last vehicle had an agent with a pepper ball gun and he… pic.twitter.com/gSRqxSrp6i

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) May 26, 2026

 

In a social media statement on Monday, Kim also said there was “chaos inside and outside” of Delaney. “Detainees protesting the lack of due process, the disgusting food and poor treatment while their families and advocates stood outside calling for help.” He added that the scene particularly escalated when ICE sent in an armored vehicle and armed agents to tackle and restrain protesters, and fire pepper balls and spray into the crowd. At one point in the kerfuffle, protesters also tried to stop ICE agents from transferring detainee Martin Soto—a detainee that initially announced the strike—though DHS later said they were able to move him anyways.

Speaking to Fox News after the protests, Mullin said he’s currently making plans to stop processing international flights into cities where “local radical left Democrats” are blocking DHS’ anti-immigrant agenda. 

Delaney Hall is a private prison owned by GEO Group, which worked closely with the first Trump administration, and during then it reportedly forced ICE detainees to work for just a dollar a day in Colorado. (This was the subject of a Supreme Court case, and in February SCOTUS ruled against the company.) Earlier this year, it was also in Delaney that a healthy 41-year-old detainee entered and died just five hours later, with the causes still unknown.

“The conditions are brutal,” Selenia Destefani, CEO of Nova Law Group, which represents dozens of detainees inside Delaney, told reporters. “People just sleep on the floor—overcrowded rooms, cold showers, no food, extremely cold in the cells with no blankets. Not sound conditions to live in.” But contrary to anyone with eyes and ears, DHS—alongside GEO Group—is saying all this is lies, that detainees have access to medical care, dietician-approved meals, and other, y’know, human rights amenities.