N.J. attorney general announces investigation into detainee deaths at Delaney Hall
“New Jersey has both a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people within our state,” Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Friday that her office’s civil rights division is investigating the operation of Delaney Hall, the privately run ICE facility in Newark where several detainees have died.
Davenport said the investigation will look into how the facility is run by the GEO Group Inc. and whether its employees have violated the civil rights of people detained there, citing reports about conditions and the deaths.
On Aug. 1, Edwin Jeovanny López Cornejo, 41, died in ICE custody after having a medical episode at Delaney Hall. His family said he had been living in the United States for two decades.
Concerns have been raised about the death in December of Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian, shortly after he arrived at Delaney Hall.
Congressional Democrats this week alleged that a third person at the facility had died.
Critics say detainees at Delaney Hall endure poor conditions. The facility has been the subject of ongoing protests and clashes between federal officials and elected Democrats.
“New Jersey has both a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people within our state,” Davenport said in a statement.
“For people who are held involuntarily, including by a private corporation like GEO Group, those rights include the right to humane treatment and adequate medical care,” Davenport said.
“We will take every action available under law to safeguard these core legal principles. We ask individuals to share their personal experiences with us so that we can take action to ensure that rights are protected,” she said.
Anyone with information that could be helpful for the investigation can contact the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division of Civil Rights at AffirmativeEnforcement@njcivilrights.gov.
A spokesperson for the GEO Group referred questions to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Spokespersons for ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could not be reached for comment Friday evening.
The Trump administration has previously rejected calls for Delaney Hall to be closed as it pursues mass deportations.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement that the investigation was necessary.
“We’ve heard the reports of disturbing conditions and have been heartbroken by recent deaths of detainees at the facility,” Sherrill said.
“ICE and The GEO Group have continued to block our efforts for a full health inspection and there are now reports that visitations have been stopped. We will not tolerate a facility that abdicates any transparency and accountability,” Sherrill said.
“I have long opposed private detention facilities, and my position is clear that Delaney Hall should be closed. My administration will continue to do everything in our power to hold ICE and The GEO Group accountable to New Jersey laws,” the governor said.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) called for the closure of Delaney Hall but was rebuffed by Senate Republicans.
“A body count is not normal. A mother’s son whose face went numb the night before is not normal. Edwin Lopez Cornell’s death was preventable. Keeping Delaney Hall open is another deliberate decision to let it continuing,” Booker posted on social media.
Also on Thursday, all nine House Democrats in New Jersey sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting ICE Director David J. Venturella asking for detailed information about the deaths and conditions at the facility.
“Three deaths, repeated allegations of medical neglect, restricted oversight, and less public transparency are a terrible track record of care for individuals in your custody,” the Democrats wrote.
“At this point, the question is no longer whether ICE knows what is happening inside Delaney Hall. It is, ‘why does ICE continue to allow the GEO Group to put lives at risk?’” they wrote.
