EXCLUSIVE: New Jersey lawmaker slams
Assemb. Paul Kanitra, R-Toms River, spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital during a visit to Delaney Hall in Newark where he said Democrats created the crisis that has led to protests.
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As New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill blamed out-of-state agitators for unrest outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention facility, critics pointed to the limited police presence around the site in the days leading up to the clashes.
During Fox News Digital’s time on scene at Delaney Hall through Thursday of last week, there were few, if any, visits by marked New Jersey State Police vehicles — an agency under Sherrill’s control. Likewise, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s hands-off sanctuary city policies were evident in the scarcity of Newark police cruisers around the facility.
Nonetheless, on Saturday, Sherrill said five of six people arrested Friday were from Pennsylvania and New York – the latter just a few miles from the protest.
That was not enough for critics, as the leading Republican seeking to challenge Delaney Hall critic Sen. Cory Booker in November called out Sherrill for trying to take credit for fixing a problem that should not have existed to begin with.
WATCH: POLICE ABSENT FROM DELANEY HALL CHAOS AS AGITATORS BLOCK ICE VEHICLES AND AGENTS USE PEPPER SPRAY
ICE agents clash with protesters outside Delaney Hall east of downtown Newark, N.J. on Thursday May 28, 2026. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
“Governor Sherrill, you are an arsonist complaining about the fire you helped start. Delaney Hall is under siege,” investigative journalist Alex Zdan said of the Democrat in a statement.
Zdan, who lists border security and better oversight of Big Pharma as his top issues, is considered the front-runner in Tuesday’s Republican Senate primary to take on Booker — who notably preceded Baraka as mayor.
“Our brave state troopers are in harm’s way, and all you can do is complain to the…
