Every few months, the same tired script gets dusted off. A detention facility becomes the latest battleground, Democratic politicians sprint to the nearest camera with horror stories, activist organizations blast out press releases, and a lazy press runs it all without bothering to verify a single detail. We saw it at “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida last summer. Now it’s Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey — where roughly 300 detainees allegedly launched a hunger strike in late May over spoiled food, no air conditioning, and substandard medical care.

Rep. Jerry Nadler claimed there were worms in the food. Worms. New Jersey’s Democratic governor sat on her hands for nearly a week while protesters brawled with authorities outside the facility. Newark’s mayor expanded a lawsuit and imposed a curfew over downtown. The narrative was locked in: another humanitarian catastrophe manufactured by a cruel administration. But somebody actually checked the receipts this time — and I do mean that literally.

From The Daily Wire:

Detainees who are said to be on a “hunger strike” inside ICE’s Delaney Hall detention center are actually stocking up on snacks from the commissary, including sushi, clams, sausage, and other elevated offerings, according to a store menu obtained by The Daily Wire.

Sources have said that the so-called hunger strike at the Newark, New Jersey, facility has involved detainees opting not to eat the meals provided to them, while they rush to the commissary to load up on snacks. The store’s stock includes the typical vending machine snacks, such as Cheetos, Honey Buns, and ramen, while also offering “fresh catch tuna,” “yellow fin tuna steak,” “smoked clams,” a filet of mackerel, summer pork sausage, and teriyaki chicken noodles, according to the menu.

Yellowfin tuna steak. Smoked clams. Teriyaki chicken noodles. These are the provisions of people supposedly wasting away in protest. Let that settle for a moment. The detainees weren’t refusing to eat — they were refusing to eat in the cafeteria, then hustling straight to the commissary to stock up on premium grub.

The hard numbers make it even worse. Internal data obtained by The Daily Wire shows commissary sales at Delaney Hall exploded 161% in a single week — jumping from $11,498 on May 26 to $30,013 by June 1. Here’s the kicker: during that same stretch, the detainee population actually shrank from 724 to 621. Fewer mouths. Triple the spending. Quite the famine.

Former ICE New York Field Office Deputy Director Scott Mechkowski was blunt: “Nothing says ‘hunger strike’ like clearing out the snack aisle. The only thing going hungry around here is the story they’re trying to sell you.” He also noted that outside activist groups have been funneling money to detainees to cover their commissary tabs — meaning this entire performance has sponsors.

“The food was good”

Border czar Tom Homan didn’t just take ICE’s word for it. He made an unannounced visit to Delaney Hall, walked into the cafeteria, and ate the identical meal served to detainees. “I had spaghetti and meat sauce, I had green beans, I had bread and rolls, I had drinks, I had dessert. The food was good,” Homan said.

And New Jersey’s own state health inspectors? They toured the facility and found not a single violation. Zero. So about those worms, Congressman Nadler — care to show your work on that one?

A manufactured crisis

None of this was spontaneous. Activist organizations coordinated with detainees. Democratic officials broadcast fabricated grievances to a national audience. Lawsuits stacked up. Protesters descended on the facility. Each piece reinforced the others, all aimed at one goal: making immigration enforcement politically toxic.

ICE put it in plain English on social media: “There is NO hunger strike occurring, nor has there been a hunger strike in effect.”

The dishonesty here should make your blood boil. Elected officials — people who swore an oath to this country — stood before cameras and lied about conditions that their own state’s inspectors had already cleared. They did it to hamstring federal law enforcement. They did it because the truth doesn’t serve their agenda.

The detainees at Delaney Hall aren’t starving. They’re eating tuna steak in their cells while politicians serve the rest of us a fabrication. The only thing running on empty in this entire saga is the credibility of every official who peddled this hoax.

Key Takeaways

• Commissary sales at Delaney Hall surged 161% during the alleged “hunger strike.”
• State health inspectors found zero violations at the facility.
• Democratic officials amplified debunked claims to obstruct immigration enforcement.
• The so-called hunger strike was a coordinated political stunt, not a humanitarian crisis.

Sources: Daily Wire, CiberCuba