Delaney Hall protests remained tense for an eighth night in Newark, New Jersey, as state police marched on demonstrators late Friday — at one point ordering an WNBC crew out of their marked news car and into a cloud of tear gas. New Jersey state police were ordered earlier that day to establish designated protest zones outside of the ICE detention center, which has become a flashpoint for protests in the last week after detainees inside launched a hunger strike. Gov. Mikie Sherrill gave the order following days of demonstrations, several of which ended in arrests. “It has grown unsafe, and that’s completely unacceptable,” the Democratic governor said at a news conference announcing the new measures. “We need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature.” As police erected protest barriers, ICE agents who had formed an line in front of protesters moved inside the building’s perimeter fence. New Jersey State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz said ICE officers agreed to stand down with state police assuming responsibility. Demonstrators had mixed reactions. Some staged a sit-in and refused to move into one of the new protest areas police set up using metal barriers and concrete blocks. WNBC photojournalist records state police march on protesters in riot gear during an eighth night of demonstrations outside of the Delaney Hall ICE facility. Around 10 p.m. Friday, a large team of state police carrying riot shields moved on protesters after reportedly giving those outside the facility a 15-minute warning. Police began pushing the group of protesters back and deployed pepper spray. Moments after the chaos unfolded, police approached the marked WNBC news vehicle parked near the commotion and ordered the crew to exit the car, stepping out into the cloud of tear gas. A spokesperson for the division of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office that oversees state police told News 4 that she was gathering information about what occurred Friday night and could not comment on the situation or treatment of the news team. The protests began a week earlier after immigrant advocates said detainees inside launched a hunger strike over poor living conditions at the 1,000-bed facility, which opened last May. Demonstrators have been attempting to block people and vehicles from entering and exiting, linking their arms in a human chain and using trash cans, umbrellas and other items as makeshift shields and barricades. ICE officers wearing helmets and tactical vests have used pepper spray and batons to try to disperse the protesters and clear the roadway for vehicles. At least six demonstrators were arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers Wednesday night, and more have been arrested on other nights, according to DHS. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche shared images online Friday of bloody wounds and bruises sustained by ICE officers. “These riots are clearly not ‘peaceful protests’ as you can see from the photos of these horrific wounds,” he said. “Assault a federal officer, you’ll be held accountable.” Another demonstrator, Lisa O’Dwyer, said she was fine with the designated protest areas. “I like to get my point across and stay safe at the same time,” the Westfield resident said. Eyesha Marable, pastor at Mt. Zion AME Church in Millburn, agreed even while acknowledging that there were “different schools of thought” among protesters. “There are people here who are angry. Their family members are inside. Their friends are inside. People have been taken off the streets, out of their communities,” she said. “We have to keep the peace,” Marable said. “The goal is to get our people free, to get them liberated, and we cannot do that if we’re fighting out here.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. ...read more read less