NJ Attorney General launches investigation into embattled immigration detention center

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Friday that the state has issued investigative subpoenas as part of a civil rights investigation into conditions at Delaney Hall, the embattled private immigration detention facility in Newark. 

The investigation will examine whether Geo Group employees violated detainees’ civil rights, following mounting reports of poor conditions inside the facility and a string of detainee deaths reported in the last eight months. 

“New Jersey has both a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people within our state,” Davenport said in a statement. “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.”

The investigation comes less than a week after the death of Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, a 39-year-old Salvadorian who was held at Delaney Hall after he was arrested by federal immigration agents in June. His mother said in an interview that Cornejo was supposed to be taking daily medication for diabetes and high blood pressure, which he was not receiving at the jail. She noted that he complained of numbness in his face and hand when they last spoke. She learned of his death only when contacted by University Hospital to come identify his body on Aug. 1.

Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement claim that Lopez Cornejo had received “proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals” while in custody. His official cause of death is pending.   

The state Department of Health also confirmed the death of a third detainee connected to the facility, but has declined to release more information, citing pending investigations. Jean Wilson Brutus was the first reported death of a detainee at the jail in December 2025. 

The 1,000-bed facility has drawn scrutiny since it opened in May 2025. Earlier this year, detainees said they launched a hunger and labor strike over conditions inside, which led to nightly clashes between federal agents and protesters along Doremus Avenue. Officials have also blocked the state from conducting a full health inspection inside. 

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said the civil rights investigation was necessary because of the stonewalling officials face at every turn. 

“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,” she said in a statement. 

Sherill repeated her position that Delaney Hall should be closed, and said her administration “will not tolerate a facility that abdicates any transparency and accountability.” 

Spokespeople for Geo Group and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond for comment. 

If the investigation finds violations, the Attorney General’s Office said it would pursue civil enforcement action under the state Civil Rights Act and Law Against Discrimination. Officials are asking anyone with relevant information to contact the Affirmative Enforcement Unit.