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New Jersey has launched a civil rights investigation into conditions and practices at Delaney Hall, a privately operated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Newark, following detainee deaths, protests and allegations about medical care.
The state Division on Civil Rights is investigating whether employees of GEO Group, which operates the facility, violated the civil rights of people detained there. Investigators have issued subpoenas as part of the probe.
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The newly launched state investigation "will focus on whether any action or inaction by GEO Group employees violated the civil rights of people detained at the facility," according to a statement from Attorney General Jennifer Davenport's office.
"New Jersey has a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people in our State," said Davenport. "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."
Davenport told Newsweek on Saturday: “Courts have long recognized that detained individuals, including people in immigration detention, have a constitutional right to adequate medical care. The reasoning is simple: when someone is confined, they're dependent on whoever is confining them to treat their medical needs. And we do not believe that constitutional right goes away simply because a private corporation is doing the detaining. No one is above the law.”
"Ensuring that civil rights are upheld in all environments—particularly in settings where individuals may be vulnerable—is a fundamental responsibility," said Yolanda N. Melville, Director of the Division on Civil Rights. "Our investigation will be thorough, impartial, and guided by the requirements and protections established by New Jersey law."
The investigation comes after growing scrutiny of the facility, including allegations of inadequate medical treatment and other poor conditions.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security, Davenport, and GEO Group via email on Saturday for comment.
What Happened At Delaney Hall?
One focus is the death of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a Salvadoran man who had been detained at Delaney Hall since June. He was the 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year and the second to die at Delaney Hall. More than 50 people have died nationwide in ICE custody, as reported by Reuters.
ICE said Lopez-Cornejo suffered a medical emergency on August 1 and was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where he died. His family, however, has raised questions about whether he received appropriate medical treatment.
His relatives said Lopez-Cornejo had diabetes, high blood pressure and epilepsy and required medication for his conditions. His family has alleged that he complained of symptoms shortly before his death and did not receive the care he needed.
The death followed that of Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national who died in December 2025 after being taken to a Newark hospital following a medical emergency at Delaney Hall.
Brutus' death was initially described by ICE as being from suspected natural causes. A medical examiner later determined that he died from a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot blocking an artery in his lungs.
Protests Have Erupted Outside
Conditions at Delaney Hall have also triggered protests inside and outside the facility. Demonstrations outside Delaney Hall have drawn large crowds and led to clashes with law enforcement.
As previously reported by Newsweek, hundreds of detainees participated in a hunger and labor strike earlier this year, protesting issues including food, medical treatment and conditions inside the center.
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The protests have intensified political pressure on ICE and GEO Group and prompted demands for greater oversight of the facility.
A woman who was struck by a car outside a Father’s Day protest at Delaney Hall previously told Newsweek she intends to take legal action against federal immigration authorities and the private prison contractor operating the site.
What Rights Do ICE Detainees Have?
People held in immigration detention retain important legal rights. Although immigration detention is generally a civil rather than criminal process, detainees are subject to ICE detention standards covering medical care, legal access, communication, grievances and other aspects of detention.
ICE's 2025 National Detention Standards state that detainees must have access to appropriate medical, dental and mental health care, including emergency services. The standards require facilities to provide medically necessary treatment and pharmaceutical services at no cost to detainees, as well as emergency and specialty care and timely responses to medical complaints.
"ICE has important obligations under the U.S. Constitution and other federal and state law when it keeps an individual in custody. ICE detention standards ensure that detainees are treated humanely; protected from harm; provided appropriate medical and mental health care; and receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled," the guidelines state.
Medical Care
ICE guidelines state: "The health care program and the medical facilities will be under the direction of a Health Services Administrator (HSA) and/or Clinical Medical Authority (CMA). When the HSA is not a physician, final clinical judgment shall rest with the facility’s designated CMA.
"Facilities will employ sufficient medical staff to perform basic exams and treatments for all detainees."
Immigrants detained by ICE retain legally protected rights to necessary health care even while in custody, according to the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership.
"An important point of distinction is that ICE detention is technically civil, not criminal, in nature," the institute states. "But detention of a person nonetheless places that individual in government custody and prevents them from obtaining outside treatment. For that reason, constitutional due process, ICE detention standards, disability law, and federal court oversight all impose duties on the government to provide medical, dental, and mental health care.
"The constitutional starting point is the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause."
Access To Lawyers
ICE's National Detention guidelines state that facility handbooks must provide detainees with information about available services, including "library/legal access," telephone use, visitation, correspondence, disability accommodations and grievance and appeal procedures.
"Detainees in disciplinary segregation may be restricted, as part of the disciplinary process, from using telephones to make general calls," the guidelines state. " However, even in disciplinary segregation, detainees shall have telephone access for family or personal emergencies, and for calls to attorneys, other legal representatives, courts, and government offices."
"All detainees, including those in disciplinary segregation, shall be permitted to place calls to attorneys, other legal representatives, courts, and government offices (including the DHS Office of the Inspector General, DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, ICE/OPR Joint Intake Center, and embassies or consulates), according to the facility schedule."
Advocates for ICE detainees state that they have the right to be represented by an attorney in immigration proceedings, but there is an important limitation: the government generally does not have to provide a lawyer free of charge.
Detainees can hire their own attorneys or seek help from nonprofit organizations and other authorized representatives.
ICE detention standards should also provide for attorney visits and communication, including confidential legal consultations.
Family Communication And Complaints
Detainees generally have rights to communicate with family members through approved telephone, mail and visitation systems.
ICE guidelines state: "Facilities holding detainees shall permit authorized persons to visit detainees within
security and operational constraints. To maintain detainee morale and family relationships, ICE/ERO encourages visits from family and friends. Facilities shall allow detainees to meet privately with their current or prospective legal
representatives and legal assistants, and also with their consular officials."
They can also file grievances about conditions, treatment or other problems inside detention facilities. Complaints can involve medical care, staff conduct or other alleged violations.
"Every facility will develop and implement policy and procedures that address detainee grievances," ICE's guidelines state. "Among other things, each facility must establish a process to review formal complaints and a reasonable time limit for processing, investigating, and responding to grievances and providing written responses to detainees who filed formal grievances, including the basis for the decision.
"The facility must also prescribe procedures applicable to emergency grievances. All grievances shall receive supervisory review. Facility policies must include guarantees against reprisal.
Detainees with limited English proficiency and people with disabilities are also entitled to appropriate assistance and accommodations.
09/08/2026 7 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Trevor Davies
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