Political commentator Bill O'Reilly stated Monday that the ongoing protests outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, are unlikely to force any changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), drawing a sharp contrast with the Minneapolis demonstrations earlier this year.
Speaking on NewsNation's "On Balance" with Leland Vittert, O'Reilly characterized the Newark protests as fundamentally different from the Minneapolis unrest, which resulted in two deaths. "It's different in the sense that it's better organized than Minneapolis, where the protesters were largely local and were running around thinking that they could make some kind of difference interfering with active ICE investigations, and two of them wound up dead," he said.
O'Reilly argued that the Newark protests were a manufactured event, orchestrated by activists from Portland, Oregon, whom he described as being from "perhaps the most radical city in the country now." He claimed these groups bus protesters across the country, provide housing and meals, and instruct them to disrupt operations. "I don't believe this will have any effect on Homeland Security while the Minnesota situation did," he added, noting that ICE adjusted its tactics in Minneapolis as a result.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) imposed a curfew around the private Delaney Hall immigration detention center on Sunday after days of escalating tensions between protesters and law enforcement. The curfew led to multiple arrests, including of out-of-state agitators, according to Governor Mikie Sherrill (D). Sherrill and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin found common ground in quashing the protests, with Sherrill deploying state police over the weekend to maintain order.
In a statement Sunday, Sherill described the situation: "Masked individuals at Delaney Hall attacked the barrier in the protected protest area and began aggressive and dangerous actions against Newark and New Jersey State Police, including throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street."
The Trump administration's immigration crackdown has fueled demonstrations nationwide, particularly after two U.S. citizens were killed in Minneapolis in January during federal law enforcement operations. Mullin took over as DHS head after former Secretary Kristi Noem was ousted amid backlash over the handling of the Minneapolis incident.
For more on the broader political context, see our coverage of the Trump and Johnson huddle at the White House over DOJ's $1.78B fund for political allies and the debate over patriotism in the Trump era. The local response is detailed in our piece on Newark Mayor Imposes Curfew Near ICE Facility After Days of Clashes.
