Another ICE detainee dies as calls grow to shut down New Jersey detention center

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A Salvadoran man has died at an immigration detention center in New Jersey, renewing scrutiny of conditions at the facility and prompting fresh calls from Democrats and immigrant advocates for it to be shut down.

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, died Saturday at Delaney Hall in Newark, where he had been held since his June 18 arrest. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Lopez-Cornejo was accused of entering the United States illegally. His official cause of death is pending.

ICE said Lopez-Cornejo “received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals” while in custody.

Gabriela Soto, whose husband has been in ICE detention for more than five months, cries as she hugs a protester outside of Delaney Hall detention center, after a Salvadoran immigrant, Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, who was being held inside died on Saturday, in Newark (Reuters)

But Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups questioned whether his death could have been prevented, citing longstanding concerns about medical care and living conditions at the 1,000-bed detention center.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said the death underscored the need to permanently close the facility.

“This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last,” Booker said. “I have visited the facility myself and witnessed these conditions firsthand, so I say this plainly: Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.”

“This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement (Reuters)

It is the second detainee death at Delaney Hall during President Donald Trump’s second term. Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national, died there in December from a pulmonary embolism, which a medical examiner ruled was due to natural causes.

Lopez-Cornejo is also the second Salvadoran national to die in ICE custody during Trump’s second term. Norlan Guzman-Fuentes was killed during a sniper attack on an ICE field office in Dallas in September.

Overall, at least 56 people have died in ICE custody during Trump’s second term.

The death is the second at Delaney Hall since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term (Getty)

Detainees at Delaney Hall have repeatedly complained about living conditions and access to medical care. Some have alleged they were denied medication, while immigrant advocacy group Cosecha said detainees launched a hunger strike earlier this year.

The facility has also become a focal point for protests against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, with demonstrators at times attempting to block vehicles entering and leaving the site. The administration has denied allegations of abuse, poor conditions and hunger strikes.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said state officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding Lopez-Cornejo’s death while accusing the facility of obstructing oversight.

Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is largely seen as the architect of the administration's immigration policies — Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is largely seen as the architect of the administration’s immigration policies (AFP/Getty)

“At the same time, we continue to face obstruction in our efforts to conduct a full health inspection of the facility,” Sherrill said. “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.”

Delaney Hall is owned by private prison company Geo Group, which operates immigration detention facilities across the United States. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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