Newark police are now leading public safety operations outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center after weeks of protests at the facility.
In a statement Monday afternoon, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the area around Delaney Hall "remains calm" and thanked protesters who have complied with Newark's new overnight curfew.
"As of earlier this afternoon, Newark Police Department is the primary command on public safety operations outside of Delaney Hall," Davenport said.
She added that the New Jersey State Police will continue assisting local law enforcement.
The change comes as Newark enters a second night of a curfew covering a half-mile radius around Delaney Hall, where demonstrations have intensified over recent days. State police took charge of crowd control Friday after clashes between protesters and federal immigration authorities.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka told NPR on Monday that city officials planned to take a larger role at the site, arguing local officers are better equipped to de-escalate protests.
"We have to de-escalate," Baraka said in the interview. "We can't come out there with shields and busloads of police and pepper spray."
Baraka continued, " I just don't agree with the way the state police behaved. Just like ICE. We shouldn't have took on their persona."
The detention center has been the focus of demonstrations since detainees launched a hunger and labor strike over what they describe as poor living conditions.
Federal officials and Delaney Hall's private operator have denied allegations of mistreatment.
