Mom ‘heartbroken’ over death of son detained at migrant jail Delaney Hall

A 39-year-old man who was detained at Delaney Hall for six weeks died in federal custody Saturday, his mother told the New Jersey Monitor.

“I’m destroyed,” said Maria Cornejo in an interview in Spanish. “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.”

Cornejo said she still doesn’t know all the circumstances around the death of her son, Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, and hasn’t heard from any jail officials.

She last heard from him Friday, when he complained of numbness in his face and hand, she said. He had diabetes and high blood pressure, but was not being given medicine regularly since he was detained in June, she said.

She received a call from someone at University Hospital in Newark Saturday evening, she said, informing her that her son arrived at the hospital without a heartbeat and asking her to identify the body. She said she had some concerns after he didn’t call her that day, but didn’t expect their call on Friday to be their last.

Cornejo’s mother said “he wasn’t a bad guy” and should not have been at Delaney Hall.

“I never imagined he would die in that place. I’m just destroyed. I have so much hurt in my heart,” she said.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said her administration is working with the state’s congressional delegation to understand what happened to Cornejo and criticized the facility for continuing to block state officials from inspecting the inside. Delaney Hall is owned and managed by Geo Group, which contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house immigrant detainees there.

“Every effort to block oversight raises serious questions about what is happening inside Delaney Hall and what those operating the facility are trying to hide,” she said. “This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed.”

According to ICE national data, 22 people died in ICE custody between Jan. 1 and July 13.

Jean Wilson Brutus was the first known death of a Delaney Hall detainee. Officials said he died in December less than 24 hours after arriving at the facility.

A spokesman for Geo Group referred questions to ICE, which issued an unsigned statement saying that Cornejo died at University Hospital after he experienced a medical emergency. The official cause of death is pending, the statement says.

The statement says border patrol agents initially arrested Cornejo in August 2006 for illegally entering the United States. He was removed to El Salvador that October, and he again illegally entered the U.S. at some point later.

“While in custody, Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals,” the statement says.

Cornejo’s death comes about two months after Delaney Hall became the center of national controversy when reports of a detainee hunger strike led to protests outside the Newark facility and nightly clashes between federal agents and protesters.

He was detained June 18 while walking to work from his home in Plainfield, his mother said. He tried to show agents his work permit, which he has held since 2022, she said, but they told him it was no good and arrested him. He was taken to Delaney Hall and had been held there since then.

Maria Cornejo said her son called her daily and aired complaints about the conditions behind bars, including that he shared a cell with up to 12 people and that he drank water from the bathroom sink. He also said it was a hurdle to get any medicine, she said.

She wasn’t able to visit him because she is not a U.S. citizen, and when he tried to put his aunt and 12-year-old daughter on the approved visitation list, his request was denied, she said

“I never got to see him. He didn’t get to see his daughter for six weeks,” she said. “When we told her what happened, she let out a big scream and hasn’t been the same since. She can’t sleep or eat. Neither can I.”

U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-08), who makes regular visits to the jail and has repeatedly called for its closure, told reporters Monday that another person died soon after being brought to Delaney Hall and released from ICE custody in July, but their death was not properly reported. That person had a seizure as they were being processed at the detention center and ICE quickly released them,  Menendez said, adding that the victim was brought to University Hospital and died shortly after.

In June, ICE stopped reporting deaths of detainees who die within 30 days of being released from custody.

“This is the more severe in terms of how they are trying to limit the true oversight and true understanding of what’s happening at ICE detention centers across the country,” he said. “They have taken every step to limit our oversight abilities.”

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) said Cornejo’s “detention alone was an act of cruelty.” She said she’s requested several documents from ICE related to his death.

“If he indeed was denied his medication as his family reports, the operators at Delaney Hall should be charged with homicide,” she said in a statement.

Originally from El Salvador, Edwin Cornejo had spent more than 20 years in the U.S., Watson Coleman said. His mother remembered him as a hard worker who was dedicated to taking care of his home and family.

“He was a great son. I could never have any complaints,” she said through tears. “He was so caring. He always wanted to help me and take care of me. And he loved his daughter so much.”