One voice has rung out for local communities through the horror stories, hunger strikes, protests and police at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail at Delaney Hall in Newark in recent weeks — that of a small grassroots outlet, Radio Jornalera NJ.
The station, whose name translates to Worker’s Radio NJ, uses multiple platforms to stream live from outside the detention center, post on Instagram about conditions inside and whether visitors are allowed in on any given day, and broadcast to local neighborhoods. A team of reporters and volunteers keeps the coverage constant.
Richard Torres, the station’s director, said he made it his mission to cut through the noise and confusion at the facility. When state police turned families away at the gates last week — some of whom had traveled for hours to see detained loved ones — even though visitation hours were officially supposed to be in operation, Torres said he called the detention center, confirmed visitation was on, and then personally and repeatedly questioned the police lined up outside. Eventually, he said, the officers allowed families past the barricades.
Torres then took to Radio Jornalera NJ’s Instagram.
“Community, good afternoon,” Torres said in a video in Spanish, according to the Guardian. He described how police had blocked visitors. “Officials now know that families are allowed in,” he said.
“We will continue to denounce all of these things and show the reality of what is happening,” he added.
The coverage comes at a fraught time at Delaney Hall. In recent weeks, dozens of detained immigrants have conducted hunger and labor strikes. Social media influencers, streamers and traditional news outlets have converged on the site — a facility on a busy road in an industrial area outside Newark. Many have focused on the protests themselves, especially amid bouts of violence first with federal officers then with state police. Rightwing social media influencers have also appeared at Delaney Hall, at times antagonizing protesters or promoting clips of clashes, fueling what the Guardian described as the Trump administration’s aggressive media response.
Radio Jornalera NJ provides a counterbalance, according to its staff, elevating the voices of detained immigrants and their families.
“It’s been hard for the past couple of days being out here,” said Asela Perez-Ortiz, the media production coordinator for the station, outside Delaney Hall. “But it doesn’t really compare to the things that people inside Delaney Hall are going through.”
“At the end of the day, we have to keep in mind we’re doing it all for them,” Perez-Ortiz said.
The reporting comes with risks, Torres said. On May 31, a Radio Jornalera NJ volunteer reporter was arrested by state police despite wearing press credentials, according to Torres. She was released the next day, along with others. Local groups are pressing for officials to drop the charges, the Guardian reported.
The Department of Homeland Security and Geo Group, the private prison operator that runs Delaney Hall, have denied there is a strike or any “subprime” conditions at the facility. New Jersey has sued Geo Group so that the state’s governor, Democrat Mikie Sherrill, can gain full access.
Radio Jornalera NJ was launched in 2021 after members of the immigrant community approached Resistencia en Acción, according to Torres.
“They said: ‘Hey, we want to build our own narrative. We want to have an outlet where we can say everything that’s happening. We’re only getting used by the press, they’re always looking for a way to use our stories — we want to build our own stories,’” Torres said.
The station is part of a larger network of independent outlets broadcasting in English and Spanish nationwide. There are Radio Jornaleras in California, Minnesota and Washington DC, each one an independent outlet, Torres said. The station now produces eight shows focused on topics including migrant workers’ labor rights, domestic workers, local activism, public policy, healthcare, and alcoholism recovery.
“There are a lot of very talented folks who always wanted to do journalism or media or filming, and they never got a chance to do it,” Torres said. “So we are that outlet where we give them that chance.”