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New Jersey Opens Civil Rights Probe Into Delaney Hall
New Jersey officials have opened a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall, an ICE immigration detention center in Newark, after three detainees died there in less than a year amid complaints about medical care and living conditions.
New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office has launched a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Newark, following three detainee deaths in less than a year and reports of troubling conditions inside the facility.
The investigation will examine whether employees of The GEO Group, the private company operating the center, violated the civil rights of people held there through acts or omissions. The state’s Division on Civil Rights has issued its first investigative subpoenas as officials seek information about conditions and recent deaths.
Investigation Follows Complaints From Detainees
Detainees have reported problems including inadequate medical care, food shortages and what they described as inhumane conditions. Those complaints contributed to a protest that lasted from May into June, after which detainees were transferred to other immigration detention facilities around the United States.
The protest ended amid concerns among detainees about possible retaliation, isolation and forced transfers. The allegations have added scrutiny to a facility that has become the subject of a broader dispute between New Jersey authorities and GEO Group over state oversight.
The state’s investigation does not establish that civil rights violations occurred. Its purpose is to determine whether the conduct of employees at the privately operated facility breached protections guaranteed under New Jersey law.
Three Detainee Deaths
The first reported death at Delaney Hall occurred in December, when Haitian detainee Jean Wilson Brutus died at the facility. The second involved Salvadoran detainee Edwin López Cornejo, whose death was reported the previous weekend. A third death, involving an unidentified detainee, was reported after the person died in late July.
The deaths have intensified questions about medical care at the center. In López Cornejo’s case, his family has alleged that he did not receive adequate medical attention and had difficulty obtaining necessary medication. The allegations are part of the broader scrutiny now being examined by state authorities.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said detainees, including those held by private contractors, are entitled to humane treatment and adequate medical care under the state’s civil rights protections.
State Officials and GEO Group Already in Dispute
The civil rights investigation comes as New Jersey is also engaged in separate litigation involving GEO Group and access to Delaney Hall. In June, the state filed a lawsuit seeking to require the company to allow health authorities to conduct inspections of the facility.
The dispute has centered on the state’s ability to inspect conditions at a detention center holding more than 1,000 people. GEO Group operates the facility under a 15-year contract valued at approximately $1 billion.
Delaney Hall previously housed immigration detainees from 2011 to 2017 before reopening under GEO Group’s management about a year ago. The renewed use of the Newark facility has brought renewed attention to the conditions under which immigrants are held while their immigration cases are processed.
Possible Civil Enforcement Action
If investigators identify violations, the Attorney General’s Office said it could pursue civil enforcement actions under New Jersey’s Civil Rights Act and Law Against Discrimination.
The investigation also gives detainees and others with direct knowledge of conditions at Delaney Hall an opportunity to provide information to state authorities. Officials said those accounts could help determine whether further legal action is warranted.
For New Jersey, the case extends a growing conflict over oversight of privately operated immigration detention. The outcome of the investigation could determine whether state authorities take additional legal action concerning the treatment of detainees at Delaney Hall.
