New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said her office issued subpoenas as part of a civil rights investigation into an immigration detention facility in Newark. The investigation is looking into whether any actions by GEO Group, which owns and operates Delaney Hall, violated people’s rights “in the wake of reports of alarming conditions and recent […]
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New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said her office issued subpoenas as part of a civil rights investigation into an immigration detention facility in Newark.
The investigation is looking into whether any actions by GEO Group, which owns and operates Delaney Hall, violated people’s rights “in the wake of reports of alarming conditions and recent deaths” at the facility, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office said.
“New Jersey has a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people in our State,” Davenport said in a statement Friday. “For detained individuals, including those held 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.”
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Yolanda N. Melville, director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, said ensuring civil rights are upheld in all environments “particularly in settings where individuals may be vulnerable — is a fundamental responsibility.”
“Our investigation will be thorough, impartial, and guided by the requirements and protections established by New Jersey law,” Melville said.
The Attorney General’s Office said if rights violations are found at Delaney, it will take civil enforcement action as allowed by the New Jersey Civil Rights Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
The investigation was announced around a week after the death of 41-year-old Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, who was detained at Delaney Hall for six weeks before dying in federal custody.
His mother, Maria Cornejo, told the New Jersey Monitor when she last heard from Lopez Cornejo, who had diabetes and high blood pressure, he complained about numbness in his face and hands.
Cornejo said in an interview with the New Jersey Monitor her son had not been given medicine regularly while at the facility.
“I’m destroyed,” Cornejo said. “I never imagined this would happen. I don’t even have the words to string together to say how I feel. I’m so heartbroken. I’ve never felt pain this deep before. He was a good son.”
Another person detained at Delaney Hall, Jean Wilson Brutus,41, died in December. He entered Immigration and Customs Enforcement Custody on Dec. 11, 2025 and was pronounced dead at University Hospital on Dec. 12, 2025.
Detainees at Delaney have talked about inhumane conditions at the facility, such as a lack of access to medicine, unsanitary conditions and poor food quality. Cornejo said her son shared a cell with up to 12 people, and drank water from the bathroom sink, according to the New Jersey Monitor.
A review of public records by The New York Times shows inspectors saw food-preparation surfaces left unsanitized, workers touching open garbage containers while cooking and that they did not keep food at temperatures that would kill contaminants.
An analysis of news releases by the federal government by The Times shows at least 53 people died in immigration detention centers since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Straight Arrow reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the GEO Group for comment.
Davenport filed a lawsuit against GEO Group in June, requesting full access to Delaney Hall for the state’s Department of Health. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said that while DOH inspectors were allowed inside for a “limited inspection” on May 28, they couldn’t observe “crucial areas of the facility, including the medical unit, sleeping areas, and bathing and toileting areas.”
“Following that visit, DOH inspectors have not since been granted access to conduct a full inspection,” the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill put out a statement Friday saying the facility is “stonewalling efforts for real oversight.”
“We’ve heard the reports of disturbing conditions and have been heartbroken by recent deaths of detainees at the facility. 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,” 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.”
