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 New Jersey in recent times – that of a small grassroots media outlet.
The “voice” is a team using several platforms, with reporters and volunteers streaming live from outside the detention center in Newark, posting on Instagram about conditions inside and whether visitors are allowed in on any given day, and broadcasting into the cars and houses of local communities.
But all that local, up-to-the-minute news comes from one outlet, Radio Jornalera NJ, or, in English, Worker’s Radio NJ.
Cutting Through Confusion
Richard Torres, the director of Radio Jornalera NJ, has made it his mission to cut through the noise and confusion at the detention facility.
When state police began turning back families at the gates – some who had traveled for hours to see detained loved ones – last week, even though visitation hours were officially supposed to be in operation, Torres was having none of it.
He called the detention center, confirmed visitation was on, and then personally and repeatedly questioned the police lined up outside, who eventually allowed families to cross the barricades and visit their locked-up relatives.
Torres then took to Radio Jornalera NJ’s Instagram.
“Community, good afternoon,” said Torres in a video in Spanish. 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.
Vital Community Connection
That was just one example of how Radio Jornalera NJ has been communicating with its prime audience, the Spanish-speaking immigrant communities around New Jersey. The grassroots FM radio station provides on-the-ground coverage, rolling updates and quick-turnaround dispatches, while pressing officials for answers – a vital source of the most current information on Delaney Hall. In the past few weeks, Radio Jornalera NJ has been constantly at the site, interviewing recently released immigrants and their families, while documenting the protests and police response.
“One of the things we do is empower people and build trust around the community,” Torres said in an interview with the Guardian. “We’ve been covering deportation, immigration [issues] since we started.”
Countering the Narrative
During the Delaney Hall hunger and labor strike by dozens of those detained, the battle to control the narrative has been an intense one. Social media influencers, streamers and traditional news outlets have flocked to the site, located on a busy road in an industrial no-man’s land outside Newark, just across the water from New York City. Many have focused chiefly on the protests, especially amid bouts of violence, first with federal officers then with state police.
Some streamers have broadcast their videos for hours, at risk of arrest. And rightwing social media influencers have also been at Delaney Hall, at times antagonizing protesters or promoting clips of clashes and violence, fueling the Trump administration’s aggressive media response.
But Radio Jornalera NJ provides a counterbalance. With its deep-seeded roots in the New Jersey immigrant community, the outlet has elevated the voices of detained immigrants and their families, returning the focus on conditions inside the facility.
“It’s been hard for the past couple of days being out here,” said Asela Perez-Ortiz, the media production coordinator for Radio Jornalera NJ, outside of 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.”
Risks and Challenges
Sometimes their reporting comes with risks. On 31 May, a Radio Jornalera NJ volunteer reporter was arrested by state police despite wearing press credentials, Torres said. She was released the next day, along with others. Local groups are pressing for local officials to drop the charges.
Meanwhile, detained immigrants continue to release letters and statements. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Geo Group have denied there is a strike or any “subprime” conditions at Delaney Hall. New Jersey has sued Geo Group so that the governor, Democrat Mikie Sherrill - who has come under fire from some quarters – can gain full access.
Radio Jornalera NJ’s young volunteer reporters continue to release multiple videos daily.
Origins and Network
Resistencia en Acción, an immigrant advocacy group in New Jersey, launched Radio Jornalera NJ in 2021 after members of the immigrant community approached the group.
“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. Other advocacy groups and local community members then launched shows of their own.
Radio Jornalera NJ is part of a larger network of independent outlets, broadcasting in both English and Spanish nationwide. There are Radio Jornaleras in California, Minnesota and Washington DC, each one an independent outlet, Torres explained.
Radio Jornalera NJ now has eight shows, according to its website. One focuses on migrant workers, aiming to inform them about labor rights. Others focus on domestic workers, local activism, public policy issues, healthcare and even those struggling with alcoholism.
“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.”
