Man Charged With Biting ICE Agents at Newark Anti-ICE Protest
A New Jersey man has been charged with assaulting federal officers after allegedly biting two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a chaotic protest outside Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center, federal prosecutors announced Friday.
Brendan John Geier, 26, of Madison, New Jersey, was arrested Thursday night and charged by complaint with assaulting federal officers and causing bodily injury, according to the Department of Justice. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cari Fais on Friday.
The Incident
According to court documents, the incident occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. on May 28, when ICE deportation officers were conducting perimeter security operations near the Delaney Hall facility. A large group of demonstrators was blocking a road leading to the detention center, and officers formed a line and ordered the crowd to “move back.”
Prosecutors allege that Geier ignored the commands and instead engaged in a struggle with the officers, kicking them and ultimately biting one officer on the forearm and another on the knuckle. Both victims required treatment at a local hospital.
Fox News reported that nine people were arrested during Thursday’s clashes, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Official Condemnation
Senior Trump administration officials issued strong statements condemning the attack and vowing further prosecutions.
“Peaceful protest doesn’t translate to violently attacking federal law enforcement officers,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Federal officers are protecting United States’ property and facilities. With virtually no local law enforcement support from New Jersey, rioters are regrouping and attacking.”
Blanche warned that additional arrests could follow as authorities continue investigating the demonstrations.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin described Geier as a “violent rioter” who “savagely bit an ICE law enforcement officer outside of Delaney Hall.” Mullin added: “The Trump Administration will always stand with our law enforcement officers. Anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey, whose office is prosecuting the case, said: “Assaulting law enforcement officers is unacceptable. Period.”
Broader Context: Hunger Strike and Escalating Protests
The biting incident is the latest escalation in a broader protest movement that has gripped the Delaney Hall facility for over a week. More than 300 detainees at the facility, which is operated by the private prison company GEO Group, have been on a hunger and labor strike since approximately May 21, according to The Guardian.
Detainees are making four key demands: an in-person meeting with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, the immediate release of all prisoners, quick adjudication of their immigration cases, and an end to alleged pressure from ICE agents to self-deport. They have also alleged poor conditions inside the facility, including cancer patients being given only Tylenol and food containing maggots.
Mullin has denied those allegations, stating on Fox News: “Not only are we providing them a safe place to stay, and food, and a place to sleep, but we’re also giving them a convenience store to buy products out of. So we’re going above and beyond.”
The protests escalated significantly after May 27, when ICE transferred a key strike leader, Martín Soto, to another facility. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) was pepper-sprayed during a visit to the facility on May 26, and Governor Sherrill, a Democrat who has called for the facility’s closure, was denied entry alongside state health officials.
The New York Post reported that clashes continued near Delaney Hall on Friday night despite Sherrill’s attempt to establish a “peaceful” protest zone, with law enforcement deploying tear gas and pepper spray to disperse crowds.
What’s Next
Geier’s legal representation status remains unclear, and no statement from him or his family has been released. The NY Post noted it attempted to reach Geier for comment. Acting Attorney General Blanche has indicated that more arrests are likely as the investigation continues.
The hunger strike at Delaney Hall continues, and similar strikes have been reported at least five other ICE facilities nationwide, raising questions about conditions across the immigration detention system and the Trump administration’s enforcement policies.