♪♪ >> From NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News" with Brianna Vannozzi.

>> Hello, and thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi.

Coming up, as the clashes between ICE officers and protesters continue at Delaney Hall in Newark, we talk with one advocate about conditions both in and outside of the immigrant detention center.

Plus, in the crowded field of candidates in the 12th Congressional District, we speak with Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp about his run for the seat.

And later, a high-stakes legal battle over Bergen County's blue laws could have major implications for retailers in North Jersey.

First though, let's get a check of some of the top headlines with Joanna Gagas.

Jo.

Thanks, Brie.

New Jersey and New York are teaming up once again on the World Cup, but this time they're launching an investigation into FIFA's handling of ticket sales.

New Jersey Attorney General Jen Davenport and New York Attorney General Letitia James issued subpoenas today to FIFA asking for details about their ticketing practices, specifically the eight games scheduled to be played in New Jersey.

The investigation comes after allegations made by fans who reported they were misled about the tickets they purchased, saying they bought tickets in the best sections only to later find out they were in a lesser section, or that seating areas were re-zoned after they bought their tickets.

The AGs called the whole process a, "gauntlet of confusion."

They're also looking into the overall pricing for this World Cup, which they say far exceeds ticket prices for any previous World Cup tournament, and that variable pricing spiked tickets in some cases by 34 percent.

We reached out to FIFA for comment, but haven't yet heard back.

Davenport's urging any New Jersey residents who haven't received the World Cup tickets they paid for to contact her office by going to the Division of Consumer Affairs website.

Back to you, Bree.

Coming up, we get the latest from one immigration advocate about the ongoing protests and unrest at Delaney Hall.

That's next.

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Learn more at RWJBH.org.

Tensions continue to rise outside Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Center after another night of clashes between protesters and ICE agents.

Federal officials confirmed two people were arrested after officers were allegedly assaulted during demonstrations tied to an ongoing hunger and labor strike inside the facility.

But immigrant advocates and several federal New Jersey lawmakers paint a different picture, alleging detainees are facing poor and inhumane conditions and that there's little transparency around it.

The growing standoff has drawn national attention.

For all the latest, we're joined by Nnedi Morsey.

She's the director of Make the Road New Jersey, who is outside Delaney Hall right now.

And Nnedi, thank you.

I understand that you've been there pretty much nonstop for the last several days.

Can you provide any context around the arrest last night and where the situation stands today?

Yeah, for sure.

I think just to give just to go back a second, thank you for the time.

This is now day six of the hunger and labor strike that was launched on Friday.

Detainees have reported conditions such as live worms in their food, inadequate medical attention.

There are pregnant women inside.

We ourselves just saw an ambulance come out with a woman who was inside.

As you shared, yesterday evening was the fifth night of the hunger strike and folks have been outside for more than a year at this point now, providing support to families who are attempting to visit their loved ones.

And over the course of the evening, ICE agents targeted a medic and targeting other individuals, arrested them, detained them, and then left them under a bridge in Rutherford a few hours later.

A total violation of their due process rights.

Yeah, Secretary Mullen shared a statement on X, which I'm sure you're aware of, but you know, he said in part that these officers were assaulted by what he called anti-ICE rioters who sprayed law enforcement with an unknown chemical substance and said that doing so is a crime and a felony.

I'm just wondering your response to that and how you see it, given how the tensions have escalated.

Yeah, so, you know, what we're seeing, I mean, I think first and foremost, it's important to center the work of and the conditions inside Delaney Hall.

You have folks who have forfeited and taking their HIV medication because for so many inside this moment, this fight is freedom or death.

And so, you know, the hunger strikers have very clear demands.

They are seeking their freedom, starting with the most vulnerable inside, those who are pregnant, those who are struggling with tuberculosis, the elderly, the young people, there are 18 year olds who are inside of the facility.

And free them all looks like many different forms.

Free them all looks like fully funding the deportation and defense initiative.

Free them all looks like members of our congressional delegation not only conducting congressional oversight visits but also making sure that we are, they are all making a commitment to vote no on the $70 billion that the Senate is looking to move to ICE and CBP.

You have essentially a blank check for ICE agents and for CBP and for GEO group, but somehow they are still unable to provide food that doesn't have live worms in it.

And so, you know, the amount of, you know, just to go back on the evening when Martin Soto was moved and Congressman Robin Mendez was not informed for more than 15 hours even though he was inside of the gates of Delaney Hall and there were more than 200 folks that were outside throughout the evening and out of nowhere at the second gate more than 50 ICE agents exploded out of the gate forcibly moved the barricades took out their batons and moved six unmarked vehicles and then pepper sprayed community members and then when the congressman had shared concerns that Martín Soto was inside one of those unmarked vehicles, ICE refused to explain whether or not or to share whether or not they had complied with the United States Attorney General's command that that Martin Soto's habeas be honored and that he not be moved out of state.

And it wasn't until more than 12 hours later that Congressman Menendez, Congresswoman Ana Lilia Mejia and Congresswoman Lamonica McIver were informed that Martin had in fact been moved.

And so what we know over the course of these last couple of days is that ICE lies.

And the protests have remained, you know, a commitment to honoring the work of the hunger strikers and to lifting up their demands.

And what we have seen over the course of the last couple of days is that ICE knows no limitation when it comes to lies and manipulation and to violence.

We saw last night that ICE was not only targeting individuals to arrest, but that prior to that, that they were chasing protesters and tasing them and pepper spraying them.

And so and had even shared comments, you know, as they were lined up outside of the gate that they were never trained on de-escalation.

>> I mean, Nadia, you talk about the transparency, the communication, something that you and others have raised as a concern is describing detainees being cut off from family and from legal help.

Are they currently able to reach their attorneys, their families now?

>> That's a great question.

So as of yesterday, the tablets have been taken away from detainees, so they are not able to do video calls.

They still have access to audio.

We have also been told that they have lost access to their commissary.

Visitation has been suspended.

It is unclear when visitation will come back on.

But there are more than 1,500 people detained at Delaney Hall who have not been able to see their loved ones.

Many people travel far by bus from Pennsylvania to come and see their loved ones and come onto the scene only to find out that for another day they won't be able to meet with them.

And so we want to make sure that as much as possible that we are lifting up the demands of the hunger strikers, that we are making sure that families are able to meet with their loved ones.

But the demands are very clear.

Hunger strikers are hoping to meet with Governor Mikey Sherrill.

They're hoping to be able to free the detainees, starting with those who are the most vulnerable.

And free them all looks like many different things, right?

And that's why we're working with the state legislature and CBP, making sure that we're fully funding deportation and legal defense.

But what we are seeing over the last couple of days is a violation of folks' due process, both inside of the detention center and outside.

>> Nettie Morsey for us outside Delaney Hall.

Thank you so much for your time.

>> Thank you for the time.

>> Primary election day is less than a week away here in New Jersey.

And candidates in the crowded 12th congressional district race are making their final pitch to voters as they vie to replace outgoing Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman.

One of those candidates is Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp, who joins us now to discuss his platform.

Mayor, thank you so much for joining us today.

A little background on you.

You were born in Barbados, right?

Raised in Barbados.

I'm going to ask you a question.

You've been running for Plainfield for four terms.

Why do you believe you're the right candidate for the 12th Congressional District?

I believe I am the right candidate.

But first of all, let me thank you for the opportunity to meet with you here today to talk about this race and why I am best suited to be the candidate to replace Bonnie Watson Coleman.

I have been a chief executive for the past 12 plus years.

I have been in the arena as an elected official, starting as a council person, moving on to be a county commissioner, and coming back to the city of Plainfield to be the mayor of the city.

And so with my executive experience, with the things that I have done in my role as mayor, delivering housing to those who need it, focusing on taxes, and keeping taxes stable, providing recreational spaces and opportunities for the people of this city.

I believe that based on all of the things that I've done, my experience across the state as a member of the local finance board and so much more, I believe that these experiences, as well as my lived experience, have caused me to get into this race.

And I believe that those are the things that qualify me and make me a better suited candidate than any of the others.

Let me jump in here because I want to get to the issues that you say you care about.

Affordability for one.

You say you want to improve affordability and create an economy that works for everyone.

How would you do that?

There are a few ways that I will do that.

Number one, housing is one of the greatest or biggest challenges facing this state, this district and this nation.

And I would work with the people at HUD.

I would work with my colleagues in Congress to make sure that we direct more low income housing tax credits to the states so that we can build affordable housing.

So people have a decent place to call home.

Number two, I would support increasing the standard deduction, which is something that had been proposed by Senator Booker, increasing that to $75,000.

And why that is important is because there are so many people, millions of people, firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses, who do not make $75,000 and who are affected by the affordability crisis.

And if you raise the standard deduction to $75,000, millions of Americans wouldn't have to pay any taxes and they would be able to keep more money in their pockets and aspire to owning that home that has been out of reach for so long.

I would also be fighting to make college more affordable.

Too many of our students are saddled with student debt and we need to forgive student loans.

Not only that, we need to make it more affordable for students to go to college.

And the Pell Grant as it exists right now is roughly $7,400.

That needs to be doubled.

All right, let me jump in here, Mayor.

Let me jump in here, Mayor, because I want to get to an important topic.

You recently criticized your opponent, Dr.

Adam Hamili, for his position on Israel.

You've said that his views are anti-Semitic.

You've called him a radical extremist.

Explain your views on Israel and how they differ from your opponent, why you've been critical of him.

My views differ significantly.

And I'm glad you asked this question, because I want to correct something that is floating out there, where my comments have been misconstrued.

And some people think that my comments are anti-Muslim, anti-Islam.

And that is absolutely and totally false.

It could be nothing further from the truth.

I am a Christian individual.

My position on Israel, on Gaza is simply this.

In Israel, in the Gaza, we have been fighting for many decades.

People all across the United States are supportive of a two-state solution.

And that is what a majority of Americans believe in.

And that is my position, that Israel has a right to exist within secure borders and that the Palestinian people have a right to self-determination that exists within their own independent borders and if they choose to call their nation, their state, the nation of Palestine, that is up to the Palestinian people but they have that right to have a land of their own where they have self autonomy.

Very quickly, why are you critical of your opponent?

Just a little bit of time left.

I am critical of my opponent because of things that he has said.

I am critical of my opponent because he was a witness and you can see all of the reports.

You can see the transcript of his appearance in court in support of someone who was convicted of seditious conspiracy against the United States at a time when we were just looking to make sure that our homeland is secure.

All right I have to jump in there I have to jump in mayor that and I have to say in response he says that he's a decorated US veteran and that your attacks on him have sounded like MAGA smears.

I just want to make sure that we include his response there.

We are out of time, but I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today.

I don't have the opportunity to respond to your last statement.

Go ahead, respond to the last statement.

Dr.

Hammory has not been a public servant in this district, in the state of New Jersey, and has not worked within this community addressing the issues of affordability, addressing the things that matter most to this district.

That is how they're going to put food on the table, the affordability crisis.

A one-issue individual who has a questionable past is not best suited to represent this district in Washington.

All right, we have to leave it there, but Mayor Adrian Mapp, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

A legal fight over Bergen County's centuries-old blue laws is heading back to court next month, with potentially major implications for retailers across North Jersey.

At the center of the dispute is the American Dream Mall's decision to open its stores on Sundays, despite rules banning the sale of most retail goods elsewhere in the county.

The borough of Paramus, which is still following those restrictions and is home to the Westfield Garden State Plaza, is suing, arguing American Dream is getting an unfair competitive advantage.

Rutgers Law Professor Sarah Swan joins us now to explain the case and what's at stake for the upcoming June 6th hearing.

Sarah, it's really good to talk to you and get your insight on this.

So Paramus is suing not just the American Dream Mall but also the county, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and East Rutherford, which is where the mall is located.

What is it though that Paramus wants out of this lawsuit?

That's an interesting question.

So normally when we see in the civil courts, we expect someone to be seeking money damages.

And that's not what Paramus is after in this case.

What they are really after is a court order telling the mall that they cannot be open on Sunday.

So they would like to sort of alter the current status quo where the mall is opening all its stores in a very public way with many signs saying that they are open on Sunday.

And Paramus would like the court to enforce that.

They would like the court to enforce a Sunday closure for that mall.

Yeah, and I mean, I guess we should note that the mall initially when it opened did follow those rules.

And then just recently within the last year opened its retail shops, promoting it, putting up big digital signs and banners saying, you know, we are open on Sundays.

Is there an argument to be made there that while Promise is in another municipality, the American Dream Mall is siphoning dollars away from its stores?

That's what Paramus is arguing is that they are impacted by this Sunday opening and that the development was initially approved on the basis that these stores would not be open on Sunday and so this switch to opening them has come as a surprise and one that is impacting Paramas malls and businesses as they figure out how they can compete with the mall being open on Sunday.

And yet even Bergen County, which supports the blue laws, wants this case dismissed.

Why is that?

It's an interesting position for Bergen County to be in.

So if you read what they filed with the court, they are articulating that they are in support of the enforcement of those blue laws and they would prefer for the mall to be closed, the stores in the mall to be closed on Sunday.

And they have said that they have told the mall that they would like it to be closed on Sunday, but they do not believe that they should be a defendant in this lawsuit as their position is.

They don't see themselves as having sort of any additional powers of enforcement to make the mall close.

And so that's sort of part of why it's going to the court to figure out who is able to enforce that law against them all.

Yeah, I mean, American Dream argues that it sits on state-owned land, controlled by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, so the laws shouldn't apply there, I guess.

Is that the central legal question to this case?

That's one of them.

And so the question is, what is the impact of the fact that the mall is on state land?

And the current position of the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority, according to what they filed with the courts, is they don't believe that it is their responsibility, or even within the purview of their powers, to sort of enforce this county blue law against them all tenant.

- Yeah, I wonder what type of ripple effect that would have elsewhere.

- Yes, it's an interesting question.

And so that's sort of one of the things that is up for grabs in the lawsuit.

So Paramus sort of responds to that argument by saying, you know, at the very least, under the terms of the lease, you have the ability to respond to sort of any kind of unlawful act or any kind of violation of laws.

And so even if it's not sort of under the blue statute, there might be another path to the Sports and Exhibition Authority exercising more power, but they don't seem interested in doing that according to sort of the position that they've taken, which is that it's sort of not their problem.

And that's what I wonder about, Sarah, whether these laws really have any teeth anymore.

If is saying, hey, American Dream, we'd really prefer for you to not have your retail stores open.

But American Dream Mall is saying tough luck.

And you have other retailers that are complying.

What enforcement really is there?

And should we expect, not asking you to speculate, but to see this just blossom into even more lawsuits?

Yes.

So I mean, that's what we're going to find out is sort of what teeth are left in the blue law.

There's sort of one of the paths forward is that the court might on June 6, there'll be a hearing and the defendants are trying to get the case dismissed.

And they're arguing that Paramus is not an appropriate plaintiff or not the appropriate party to bring this lawsuit at all.

But if the end result of everything is that the court says actually American Mall you can proceed to be open on Sunday, then the question is can the blue laws still survive or will Bergen County residents want those blue laws to survive?

Because the question really is this an opt-in law that residents of Bergen County have consistently over the years actually chosen to have this in place?

It's not something that's being imposed on Bergen County.

This is a sort of law of their own creation.

And the question is sort of, do they still want that if the circumstance is such that there is this one giant mall open on Sundays?

Could there also be, in the time that we have left, could there also be a legal question around the intent of the laws and whether they're about religion and a day of rest, which is how they began back in the 1700s, or really about economic and traffic management, a policy to control those?

Yeah, so that seems to be the driving motivations for the folks that continue to want blue laws in Bergen County, just the sense that it is enhancing their quality of life.

They prefer the lower traffic, lower pace, lower stress feel of a Sunday where businesses aren't open except for essential services like groceries and things like that.

Rutgers Law Professor Sarah Thank you so much for your insight.

We'll be checking back with you once this case happens.

Thanks again.

- Thank you.

- That's gonna do it for us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi for the entire team at NJ Spotlight News.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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