NJ to probe Delaney Hall allegations
Davenport: Investigation focuses on civil rights
By: Hannan Adely
Northernmost
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... The New Jersey Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation into potential civil rights violations by GEO Group, the private operator of Delaney Hall in Newark, in response to reports of poor conditions and deaths at the immigration detention center.
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Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the investigation on Friday, August 7, [2026] saying she had issued investigative subpoenas thorough the New Jersey Division of civil rights. the investigation she said, will focus on whether an inaction or action by GEO Group employees violated rights of detainees.
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"New Jersey has bot a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people within our state," said Davenport."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.
..... "We will take every action available under law to safeguard these core legal principles," she said.
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Davenport asked anyone with information to contact the division's Affirmative Enforcement Unit at AffirnativeEnforcement@nicivilrights.gov.
.... Governor Mikie Sherrill called the investigation "the right and necessary course of action," saying the GEO Group is "stonewalling efforts for real oversight" and would be held countable.
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"We've heard the reports of disturbing conditions and have been heartbroken by recent deaths of detainees at the facility," Sherrill said in a statement. "ICE and The GEO Group have continued to block our efforts for a full health inspection ... We will not tolerate a facility that abdicates any transparency and accountability."
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GEO Group did not immediately response to a request for comment.
..... The company is the largest for-profit operate of U.S. Immigration and Costumes Enforcement detention facilities in the country. It opened Delaney Hall May 2025 under a 15-year, $1 billion contract. The 1,000-bed detention center has sparked complaints over living conditions, including alleged spoiled food, medical neglect and abuse.
..... GEO Group and ICE disputed allegations, saying they meet health and safety standards in the care they provide to detainees,
..... In May, [2026] dozens of detainees joined a labor and hunger strike.
..... In June, [2026] the attorney general used GEO Group on behalf of the Department of Health, seeking a court order requiring GEO Group to grant the agency full access to Delaney Hall to conduct health inspections.
..... Since its opening, Delaney Hall has faced reports of at least thee deaths of people in its custody.
..... On August 1, [2026] Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo died after falling ill. His family, who said that he did not get proper medical care, demanded at a press conference that the attorney general open an independent investigation into his death and medical care at the facility.
..... The attorney general's announcement comes one day after all nine Democratic members of he New Jersey House delegation in Congress wrote to the heads of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security seeing information about reports of abuse and neglect.
..... They asked for an counting of deaths connected to Delaney hall, including timelines, medication care provided and any corrective actions taken. They also asked for inspections, mortality reviews, audits, staffing assessments and internal communications concerning medical care.
..... They also demanded that members of Congress and New Jersey helaht officials be given full, unencumbered access to inspect Delaney Hall.
..... DHS and ICE, which have defended care and conditions at Delaney Hall, did not immediately respond to request for comment.
..... "Three deaths, repeated allegations of medical neglect, restricted oversight, and less public transparency are a terrible track rerecord of care for individuals in your custody," wrote the lawmakers. "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?'"