Protesters speak out against Delaney Hall ICE ‘dungeon’ a week after detainee death
A coalition of activists gathered Saturday in front of Delaney Hall in Newark on a nationwide day of protest, speaking out against ICE and its federal immigration center a week after a detainee died.
The demonstration, which drew about 40 people, was part of a series of National Day of Action protests held across the country against ICE and President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
"An injury to one is an injury to all," said organizer Alec Courtney of Staten Island. "The way we are going to stop Trump's attack on immigrants and activists is by uniting our forces across the country."
Organizers chanted "shut it down" and "free them all" while a separate group of protestors shouted at employees of GEO Group, the private prison company contracted by the Trump administration to hold undocumented immigrants.
GEO employees fired pepper spray at some protestors after a skirmish, but the scene remained calm compared to the high-profile clashes that have plagued the site in recent months.
No ICE agents were spotted outside of the facility during the protest.
Saturday's event was the latest in a series of demonstrations that have been held outside Delaney Hall, which has faced continuous scrutiny over the last two years. Three detainees have died since December, New Jersey's Democratic federal lawmakers said.
Most recently, Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, 39, died at a hospital after suffering a medical emergency at the detention center, officials said.
Cornejo's family said he was not given regular treatment for diabetes and high blood pressure. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security denies that and added that "for many illegal aliens, this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives."
Another organizer, Carol Lang of the Bronx, said Cornejo's death "underscores why we need to abolish ICE, shut down their dungeons, and guarantee equal rights for those who live here."
Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other Democratic officials in New Jersey have renewed calls for Delaney Hall to be closed since Cornejo's death.
The state's nine Democratic U.S. House members sent a letter to the federal Homeland Security Department on Thursday demanding transparency about the detainee deaths and full access to the building.
The state Attorney General's Office on Friday launched a civil rights investigation into the facility.
In addition to Cornejo, Jean Wilson Brutus died in Delaney Hall in December. In their letter last week, Democratic lawmakers referred to another death that happened in July when ICE authorized the temporary release of a detainee to get treatment after experiencing a seizure. The person was not technically in ICE custody when they died, and ICE did not report the death, officials said.
DHS in May updated a policy that "when an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths that may occur."
"This is common sense," the department said Saturday in a statement to NJ.com. "ICE is not responsible when an individual passes away weeks after leaving their custody."
NJ.com staff writer Alec Sturm contributed to this report.
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