Around 50 detainees at the private prison facility became irate after meals were allegedly delayed, prompting them to push down a dormitory wall, which led to the four escapes, immigration attorney Mustafa Cetin told NJ.com. "It's about the food, and some of the detainees were getting aggressive, and it turned violent," he said.
Cetin explained that his client reported that the wall was "not very strong" and said that detainees had hung bedsheets in what he believes may have been used for the escapes.
A senior Homeland Security official told Fox News that "additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find the escapees and a BOLO (be on the lookout) has been disseminated."
Officials have not said how the detainees managed to escape or when. Around 6 pm, dozens of officers from Newark Police and the Essex County Sheriff's Office were present outside the facility, according to photos posted by Rutgers University professor Whitney Strub.
At approximately 9 pm, a group of agitators was captured on video blocking an SUV from exiting an ancillary gate at Delaney Hall, forcing it to retreat back into the facility. In footage captured by Freedom News TV, the unruly protesters were seen demanding that federal agents show them that the vehicle was empty.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka released a statement, saying that his office was "concerned about reports of what has transpired at Delaney Hall this evening, ranging from withholding food and poor treatment, to uprising and escaped detainees."
"This entire situation lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail," the mayor said. "This is why city officials and our congressional delegation need to be allowed entry to observe and monitor, and why private prisons pose a very real problem to our state and constitution. We demand immediate answers and clear communication with the GEO Group and the Department of Homeland Security. We must put an end to this chaos and not allow this operation to continue unchecked."DHS said in a Friday statement, "We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to the locating of these individuals."
