Affinity Partners

The $1.6bn Kushner Resort and Albania’s Coastal Crisis

For the sixth straight day, the Albanian capital has seen thousands of protesters rally against a massive luxury beach development. The project, linked to Jared Kushner and his firm Affinity Partners, has sparked a standoff between the government’s economic ambitions and citizens’ fears for the nation’s natural heritage. As Al Jazeera reported, the unrest is growing as the scale of the development becomes clearer. The proposed complex is valued at $1.6bn (£1.19bn) and is slated for the Adriatic Coast. Earlier this year, Ivanka Trump visited the country with a team of architects to tour the site earmarked for development. The project is expected to encompass the uninhabited outcrop of Sazan, which is Albania’s only island, along with critical wetlands and coastal habitats within the surrounding marine national park. While Prime Minister Edi Rama has positioned the development as a milestone in Albania’s transition from a Stalinist state to a high-end holiday destination, he has faced intense pushback. Even after offering to meet with protesters

to discuss solutions

, Rama remained defiant, telling reporters:

“There is absolutely no chance that the investment will stop as long as I am here.”

Edi Rama, via The Guardian

Environmental Stakes and the Fight for Transparency

The scrutiny is not merely political; it is biological. The development area serves as one of the Mediterranean’s most sensitive environments, acting as a refuge for the Mediterranean monk seal and sheltering more than 200 bird species. Among those at risk are endangered flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans. Environmental advocates argue that the project is moving forward with a disregard for the law. According to The Guardian, the Protection and Preservation of the Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) has raised alarms over the destruction of ancient dunes and Mediterranean pine forests to make way for access roads.

“From start to finish there has been a total lack of transparency. We have seen no public consultation or public documentation regarding permits, and so now what we are saying is, if they remove the bulldozers, remove the fence and restore the habitats to what they were, then we can start talking.”

Aleksandr Trajce, Executive Director of PPNEA Trajce noted that the situation escalated when a private security firm began erecting a concrete-based, barbed wire-topped fence around the site near Zvërnec, effectively cutting off locals from their land.

Clashes and Arrests at Newark’s Delaney Hall

While Albania grapples with coastal development, a different kind of volatility has taken hold in New Jersey. Since late May, demonstrators have been clashing with law enforcement outside Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed immigration detention center in Newark. As Yahoo News reported, more than 80 people have been arrested during these demonstrations. The protests are fueled by accusations of neglect within the facility, which is owned by the private prison contractor Geo Group. The immigrant advocacy group Cosecha reported that detainees launched a hunger strike last month, citing overcrowded cells without air conditioning and the provision of moldy or expired food. The scene outside the facility has turned increasingly violent. Videos on social media have captured ICE officers in riot gear deploying tear gas and using batons, while police on horseback have marched into crowds. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche shared images of officers sustaining bloody wounds and bruises. The chaos even extended to the press; one law enforcement official was charged with stealing $10,000 worth of camera equipment from an Associated Press photojournalist, Angelina Katsanis, who was injured during a clash.

Administration Defenses: “This Isn’t Holiday Inn”

The Trump administration has moved to aggressively defend its policies and the conditions at the Newark facility. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has denied allegations of abuse or hunger strikes, characterizing the criticism as a targeted attack.

“The fact is, we’re giving them the calories they want. This isn’t Holiday Inn.”

Markwayne Mullin, Homeland Security Secretary Border Czar Tom Homan also weighed in following a recent visit to the site, offering a blunt endorsement of the provisions: Tom Homan, via CBS News Geo Group has dismissed the outcry as

a politically motivated campaign by outside groups to dismantle ICE and federal immigration detention by targeting the government’s facility contractors.

Local officials in Newark have also taken a hard line against the demonstrators. Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda issued a stern warning to those participating in the protests:

“No one has the right to come into our city, destroy personal property, or incite violence. Think twice before coming to Newark with any other agenda than to protest peacefully.”

Emanuel Miranda, via Social Media As legal battles mount in Albania over land use and environmental permits, the standoff in Newark remains a volatile flashpoint for the administration’s broader immigration crackdown. Both situations suggest a growing trend of high-stakes confrontation between federal interests and local opposition.