Inside Delaney Hall: What Is Happening at the ICE Detention Center That Shocked the Nation
- 20 cze
- 5 minut(y) czytania
June 20, 2026 | Breaking News | United States
A privately run immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey has become one of the most visible flashpoints in American immigration enforcement — a place where detainees went on hunger strikes, protesters clashed with federal agents in the streets, elected officials were denied entry, and a congressional representative described the smell of sewage permeating the building on each of her four visits inside.
What is Delaney Hall, what is allegedly happening there, and why does it matter for the broader immigration system?
Delaney Hall
What Is Delaney Hall?
Delaney Hall is an immigration detention center located on Doremus Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, next to a sewage treatment plant and a garbage dump. The Trump administration reopened it as an immigrant detention facility in 2025. It is managed by GEO Group, a private prison company that received a $1 billion, 15-year contract to operate the facility for ICE — part of a nationwide expansion of detention capacity that has accelerated since the beginning of the administration.
ICE began housing detainees at Delaney Hall on May 1, 2025.
What Are Detainees and Their Attorneys Reporting?
Beginning in late May 2026, detainees launched a coordinated hunger and labor strike to protest conditions inside the facility. Attorneys representing clients at Delaney Hall and congressional members who visited have described a facility where:
Alleged Condition | Reported Details |
Food quality | Spoiled food; reports of maggots in meals |
Food access | Periods of up to 20 hours without food, followed by small portions |
Medical care | Inadequate for detainees with chronic conditions including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease |
Sanitation | Sewage smell throughout the building; questions about ventilation |
Daily schedule | Erratic — breakfast served anywhere from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. with no consistency |
Security | Four detainees escaped by pushing through a wall described as "drywall with some mesh inside" |
One woman whose husband was detained told CBS News that a fight broke out during lunch because detainees had gone approximately 20 hours without food and were then given only small portions, causing some to riot in an attempt to get attention.
What Did Elected Officials Find?
The situation drew significant attention from New Jersey's political leadership. Senator Andy Kim visited the facility and reported being told that four detainees escaped through what he described as a structurally inadequate wall — prompting a security review of other walls in the building.
Senator Cory Booker gained access to the center and joined calls for its closure. Governor Mikie Sherrill and both of New Jersey's Democratic senators formally demanded that Delaney Hall be shut down.
Representative Analilia Mejia visited Delaney Hall four times as part of her congressional oversight responsibilities. Writing in a public statement, she described:
The pervasive smell of sewage from the moment she entered
Stagnant air and inadequate ventilation
Detainees not receiving medical care consistent with their diagnoses or their doctors' recommendations
When she questioned Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about whether ICE tracks detainees with chronic illnesses, whether those conditions are monitored, and whether independent health officials are permitted to inspect the facility, she received no answers.
Journalists have not been permitted inside Delaney Hall to independently investigate the allegations.
What Does DHS Say?
The Department of Homeland Security has firmly rejected the accounts from detainees, attorneys, and elected officials. In an official statement, DHS said detainees "receive comprehensive medical care and are treated well," with three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, and toiletries.
DHS characterized the detainee population as including "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens," including individuals wanted for murder, sexual assault, robbery, assault, and illegal firearms possession.
Lori Nessel, director of the Immigrants' Rights/International Human Rights Law Clinic at Seton Hall University School of Law, called those characterizations "completely false."
What Happened Outside
The protests outside Delaney Hall turned serious. In late May 2026, demonstrators gathered to demand the facility's closure and to support detainees inside. ICE agents and protesters clashed. Officers deployed pepper ball projectiles. DHS said force was minimal and that protesters were obstructing law enforcement from exiting the facility.
Senator Andy Kim said his eyes were washed out after exposure to tear gas during a visit. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced plans to lift a curfew that had been imposed around the facility following the most intense confrontations.
The Broader Pattern
Delaney Hall is not an isolated case. Independent federal investigators and detainee advocates have raised alarms at ICE facilities across the country — from Texas to New Jersey — citing poor conditions, limited medical access, and inadequate oversight.
The Christian Science Monitor reported in June 2026 that complaints about conditions are rising precisely as funding to ICE swells. With the Secure America Act now signed into law, providing more than $38 billion in new operational funding for ICE, the detention system is expected to grow further, not contract.
A detainee also died at Delaney Hall in December 2025 while in ICE custody. Representative LaMonica McIver called for accountability and noted that the Trump administration has moved to curtail congressional oversight, rewriting guidelines to limit unannounced inspections of ICE facilities.
The Accountability Gap
When Congress passed the $70 billion ICE funding bill in June 2026, Democrats had pushed for specific oversight requirements — independent inspections, medical standards, officer conduct rules. None of those provisions were included in the final legislation.
The result is a system with growing resources and shrinking accountability — and Delaney Hall is what that combination looks like in practice.
What Can You Do If a Family Member Is Detained?
If someone you know is detained at Delaney Hall or another ICE facility:
Contact an immigration attorney immediately. An attorney can file for bond or request that an immigration judge review the detention.
Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at ice.gov to find information about your family member's location and status.
Contact your congressional representative. Members of Congress have oversight responsibilities and can sometimes obtain information about specific cases or raise concerns directly with DHS.
Document everything. Ask the detained person to write down specific incidents, dates, and details whenever possible. This documentation can support legal filings.
The Immigrants will continue to monitor conditions at Delaney Hall and other ICE detention facilities, including any congressional hearings or judicial proceedings. Bookmark immigrants.live for updates.
About The Immigrants
The Immigrants is an independent publication covering the policies, systems, and decisions that shape the lives of people who move across borders.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you or a family member is detained by ICE, consult a licensed immigration attorney as soon as possible.
Sources: WHYY, CNN, WBUR/Here & Now, America Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, CBS News New York, Representative Analilia Mejia (op-ed), Representative LaMonica McIver (press release), Patch Newark, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Komentarze