U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mick Mulvaney announced a "zero tolerance" policy after protesters were arrested Sunday night in Newark, New Jersey.

The escalation marks a hardening of the federal government's stance toward demonstrations at immigration facilities, signaling that violent clashes with federal agents will result in immediate legal action.

Authorities arrested at least 20 [1] people on Sunday night outside Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed ICE detention center [2]. These arrests followed the implementation of a curfew running from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. [3].

The Sunday night activity followed a weekend of unrest. Twenty-one [4] protesters were arrested for allegedly assaulting federal officers between May 26 and May 29 [4]. This brings the total number of arrests over the period to more than 40 [1, 4].

Secretary Mulvaney, referred to in some reports as Mullin, said the administration has "zero tolerance" [5] for assaults on federal officers. He said, "ICE detainees can go back to their country" [5].

The protests are centered on ICE detention policies. The curfew was imposed to curb violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement, a measure that coincided with the latest round of arrests.

Some of those detained were reportedly transported from as far as Portland to participate in the demonstrations at the Newark facility [6].

“"Zero tolerance"”

The deployment of a curfew and the explicit 'zero tolerance' rhetoric from the DHS Secretary indicate a strategic shift toward prioritizing the security of federal installations over the right to protest in their immediate vicinity. By targeting individuals who traveled from other states, the government is also signaling a broader effort to disrupt organized national networks of anti-detention activism.