WASHINGTON / NEWARK, NJ — New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim have introduced legislation that would permanently close the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark within 90 days. The move comes after the death of 41-year-old Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, who died on August 1 while in ICE custody.
According to Booker and Kim, Lopez-Cornejo’s death marks the third detainee death linked to Delaney Hall in the past nine months. The senators argue that the facility has been plagued by serious concerns over medical care, detention conditions, and the management of the privately operated center, which is run by GEO Group under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Speaking on the Senate floor, Booker described Delaney Hall as “a symbol of neglect, abuse, and a failed detention system,” warning that additional deaths could occur if Congress does not act. Kim said that what he witnessed during his visits to the facility was “absolutely unacceptable” and argued that privately operated immigration detention centers like Delaney Hall “have no place in New Jersey.”
However, the effort to pass the legislation immediately was unsuccessful. Senate Republicans blocked Booker’s request for unanimous consent, meaning the bill will now have to move through the standard legislative process before it can be considered for a vote.
Delaney Hall has been at the center of growing controversy in recent months. In addition to multiple detainee deaths, the facility has been the subject of congressional oversight visits, public protests, and calls for investigations into allegations of inadequate medical care and unsafe detention conditions.
Sources: Office of Senator Cory Booker, Insider NJ, New Jersey Globe. ABC7 New York (@ABC7NY) on X, KimKatieUSA (@KimKatieUSA) on X
[…] renewed call comes just days after U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim introduced legislation that would require ICE to permanently close Delaney Hall within 90 days, […]