Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor

Rep. LaMonica McIver’s patience was wearing thin.

It was May 9, and McIver and two of her House colleagues were waiting to be escorted into Delaney Hall, a new migrant jail in Newark. The three Democrats had shown up there that day for an unannounced visit, but first they were told to wait inside a vestibule off the detention center’s parking lot.

The longer they waited, the more frustrated McIver became....

A municipal court judge in Somerset County who oversaw truancy cases threatened children who came before him and their mothers with deportation, according to a formal complaint issued by a judicial advisory board.

The largest federal immigration detention center on the east coast will open in Newark, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced Wednesday.

Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility located next to the Essex County jail, will be the first immigration detention center to open under the Trump administration. The facility’s owner, private prison contractor Geo Group, said Thursday it signed a 15-year contract with ICE worth about $60 million annually.

ICE officials said the new detention center would help it manage growing arrests and deportations ordered under President Donald Trump, who campaigned for reelection pledging a mass deportation effort. Delaney Hall’s closeness to Newark airport is also key, according to ICE. ...

Immigration activists have mixed feelings about guidance issued by the state Department of Education urging school districts to develop protocols in case federal immigration officials show up at schools.

The guidance came after the Trump administration threw out federal policies that protect undocumented immigrants from being arrested in “sensitive locations” like schools and churches, and amid a rise in uncertainty and fear in parents, children, and teachers about how far-reaching President Trump’s threat of mass deportation is.

“They knew that this was going to be the outcome, and they waited until this week to issue guidance. Better late than never, but at what cost?” said Amy Torres, director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “It’s great to put out this guidance, but I think it’s going to take a lot of effort to make sure that everyday administrators and teachers have time to go through and read all this.” ...

Embattled Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso stepped down Friday as part of a plea agreement that required his resignation following criminal charges and a racism scandal.

Bonaccorso, 64, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Union County to conspiracy to commit official misconduct in the third degree, and forgery in the fourth degree. As part of his plea agreement, Bonaccorso will have to pay a $15,000 fine over the course of three years and will be sentenced in February to probation.

Bonaccorso also agreed to forfeit his right to hold public office or employment again. After the court documents were signed during Friday morning’s hearing, the forfeiture went into effect immediately. ...