New Jersey Launches Civil Rights Investigation Into ICE Detention Center Following Detainee Death

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport has launched a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall, a privately run 1,000-bed ICE detention center in Newark operated by GEO Group. The probe, marked by the delivery of investigative subpoenas, follows the August 1, 2026, death of 39-year-old Salvadoran detainee Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo, the third death linked to the facility in eight months. While Lopez-Cornejo's family alleges medical neglect regarding his diabetes and epilepsy, ICE maintains he received proper care.

New Jersey civil rights investigation

• ▪The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights issued investigative subpoenas to GEO Group to determine if employees violated the civil rights of detained individuals.
• ▪New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced a civil rights investigation into the privately run Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark on August 7, 2026.

Detainee deaths at Delaney Hall

• ▪Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo, a 39-year-old Salvadoran detainee held at Delaney Hall since June 18, 2026, died in custody on August 1, 2026, after a medical emergency.
• ▪The New Jersey Department of Health confirmed the death of a third detainee connected to Delaney Hall, but declined to release further details due to pending investigations.
• ▪Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national, died in December 2025 from a pulmonary embolism after being transported to a Newark hospital from Delaney Hall.

Medical care inadequacy allegations

• ▪U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated that Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and was evaluated by health professionals while in custody.
• ▪Former detainees at Delaney Hall have alleged squalid conditions, including substandard food, unsanitary bathrooms, faulty ventilation, and difficulty accessing medical care.
• ▪The family of Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo accused Delaney Hall operators of failing to provide daily medications required for his diabetes, high blood pressure, and epilepsy.

GEO Group detention operations

• ▪Governor Mikie Sherrill's administration filed an ongoing lawsuit against GEO Group seeking to grant state health inspectors full access to the Delaney Hall facility.
• ▪GEO Group, a private prison contractor, operates the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall facility under a government contract for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Constitutional rights of detained immigrants

• ▪New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport stated that courts recognize detained individuals, including those in private immigration facilities, have a constitutional right to adequate medical care.
• ▪Under ICE's 2025 National Detention Standards, facilities are required to provide medically necessary treatment, pharmaceutical services, and emergency care at no cost to detainees.