Delaney Hall Latest: Senator Cory Booker on PIX11 Morning News

追加: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]week of protest at Delaney Hall and things don't appear to be easing up at all.

[00:00:04]>> What is growing is the number of elected officials demanding the facility be shut down. One of the loudest voices is that of New Jersey's Senator Cory Booker who joins us in studio this morning. Senator Booker, good to see you.

[00:00:14]>> Thank you. It's really good to be here.

[00:00:15]>> And so state health authorities weren't allowed in to inspect certain areas of Delaney Hall yesterday. You were allowed inside this past week. What did you see on the inside and what immediate changes can be done?

[00:00:28]>> Well, I saw what was unacceptable and is being objective as possible. You know this is a call from right-wing organizations like the Cato Institute to officials who are seeing what's going on. So, number one is this is a for-profit private prison profiting off of all of this pain, a billion-dollar contract, and we're not even allowing adequate oversight. Number two is the people that are there are overwhelmingly, as the Cato Institute calls out the hypocrisy of the Trump administration, who've done no crimes.

[00:00:55]These are people that are often have American children. I met someone with American grandchildren. They are part of our communities that were trying to comply with our laws who are caught in roundups and thrown into this place with conditions that are assault on our on our dignity. And so this is a a a real crisis. We should not a nation this great should not have places that are basically internment camps like this.

[00:01:18]And especially there shouldn't be people profiting off of this pain. And so we need to find a way to shut this down. In the meantime, they need to improve conditions. They have a lot of legitimate calls for justice inside of that facility. And then finally, ultimately, besides shutting it down, we need to stop this cruel immigration policies that this that this president is using our taxpayer dollars to pursue.

[00:01:42]>> And what are the health conditions right now? Are the detainees literally on a hunger strike? Are they doing okay?

[00:01:48]>> So, there's there are detainees in there who are not eating the food because of complaints about the food, but even more than that, but some of the larger complaints with the facilities. I sat with people without guards around to sit and have honest conversations. When I sat with the women, it was it was stunning. And first of all, the courage of these women, the collective strength and comfort they're giving each other. I talked to a woman that had a miscarriage and didn't get proper treatment. I talked to a woman who had just given birth before she was rounded up, taken away from her American child and other American children. And they're complaining about when they come with health conditions or infections or often just given a Tylenol and so told to go away. So, this is this is what the real crisis is. And again, it's our taxpayer money that are going to providing what they should be doing adequate services, we yet they're profiting by constricting what I think is the the support they should be giving, especially people that are undergoing such such challenging medical issues.

[00:02:45]>> Senator, you called it a moral stain.

[00:02:47]Listening to what you saw, listening to some of these stories, you're calling for it to be shut down. The governor is facing calls for it to be shut down as well. And from folks I'm talking to behind the scenes they say, "Well, yes, it's great that all the elected officials go there, they all pay attention, but what's the action? What's the end result of somebody like you going there? How do you get it to be that to that point of being shut down?"

[00:03:07]>> So, there's a few things that are my priorities. Number one is protecting the people that are in there. That's why we're working with legal communities to help people with habeas petitions and more because they complained about retaliation against them trying to deport them out of the country when they have legitimate claims to be here or throw them into the south under worse conditions, worse internment-like camp conditions. So, number one, help immediately. And that's why me and Congressman Espillat were there taking intricate notes and trying to connect them with lawyers. Number two, is let them know that we're watching everything that you're doing and you got to improve conditions. And I've talked to everybody >> What if they don't?

[00:03:43]>> Again, then then to me there's there's two causes of action. One is a legal action and number two is understand we're just 5 months away from an election. This president has taken money away from the uh money and personnel away from the FBI, from the ATF, law enforcement that we need all to put in funding this greater than those other agencies all for this criminal what I think is rounding up of people off of our streets. And so we will have more power should we take back in 5 months control of the Senate and the House to actually hold them accountable. So right now we've got to immediately deal with this crisis and that's why the governor and I are holding a press conference soon, but we have to also make sure that we're building up to make sure we can not have this kind of moral injustice in our country at all.

[00:04:28]>> What have your conversations been with the governor?

[00:04:31]>> I I have to so much respect for Mikie Sherrill who was my colleague in Congress and now is our governor.

[00:04:37]She and I are very concerned about the conditions and stopping it, but also concerned about opportunists who are coming to pro not to protest legitimately, but to cause violence at that scene. So we're going to try to make sure that we're coordinating action on the state, city, and county level to keep people safe that are there. We are encouraging peaceful protest, but but for folks that are coming there for violence or and I've seen things on the far right and the far left, that's not going to be tolerated, but we do want Americans understand that this should be a time where all of us are speaking out, standing up, and finding ways to let folks know that this is unacceptable in our communities.

[00:05:14]>> Yeah, what do you say about somebody like a Greg Bovino who put on social media yesterday, he's the former border customs official who was let go from the Trump administration, but he had put out saying they're not getting the job done, so I'm going to go there and I'll take over. That has caused some panic and alarm within the community as well. He said he was going to arrive today. I don't know if that's accurate. What are your thoughts on somebody like Bovino coming?

[00:05:37]>> Well, again, these are people that don't care about our community. Don't care about the state of New Jersey or the city of Newark. Don't even care about uh the agents or are working there or the people that are in that on those awful conditions and they're just trying to incite uh a crisis and gain attention on social media. It's unacceptable to me and again, this is one of the reasons why I'm grateful for the governor's leadership right now to say we're going to do everything we can to create an environment where peaceful protest can take place and for people that are coming there with an agenda to spark violence or to incite people into conflict that we can deconflict that and to benefit >> You're almost agreeing President said they were fake protesters. That they were fake hired paid protesters.

[00:06:20]>> Yeah, this is the what the President will try to do when his approval ratings are in the tank, worse than Richard Nixon during Watergate, when he is driving up the prices of Americans. He's saying that anybody who protests me is fake. Well, I'm telling you I go all over the state, Republicans and Democrats are so dissatisfied with what he's doing to our economy and the pain he's causing and the protests that are coming forward of people who are standing up and exercising their First Amendment. He's trying to create a pretext not just to delegitimize them, but to suppress peaceful protest and that's unacceptable.

[00:06:50]>> In the meantime while you attempt to make change, what kind of peace of mind if any can you give to those family members that have loved ones that are inside that facility, if anything at all?

[00:06:59]>> Well, one is that we see you and we are hearing your cries for justice. We are working in the courts. We're going to work with getting them legal representation. We're going to work through the legislative branch, but we're also going to work towards the elections. I know this fundamentally that Americans, regardless if you're independent, Republican or Democrat, that this is a moral stain. It is an assault not just on the dignity of the people that are there, but it actually implicates the dignity of our entire country. And so I know that we are on the right side of history and that we'll bring this to an end. But right now we need to help people in their habeas claims. We need to help people get better conditions and that's going to happen not just by actions taken by one US Senator, but when the people stand up and speak out, it it does make a difference. So I hope more people will come out against this.

[00:07:44]>> That press conference is today?

[00:07:45]>> Yes.

[00:07:45]>> To at Delaney?

[00:07:47]>> No, it's at the Rock, which is where we coordinate law enforcement in our state.

[00:07:51]>> And again, what time?

[00:07:51]>> I think right now it's scheduled for 2:00.

[00:07:54]>> Okay, great.

[00:07:54]>> All right. Senator Cory Booker, great to see you as always. Thank you. Keep us posted on the situation there, okay?

[00:07:58]We're paying close attention as well.

[00:07:59]All right, everybody, 9:20