“ICE is killing people on American streets and in detention centers across the country. They can try to evade accountability, but the American people deserve answers and transparency, which is exactly what I intend to deliver alongside my House Democratic colleagues.
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Two More Deaths Tied to Newark's Delaney Hall ICE Jail; Senate Republicans Block Booker's Bid to Close It as ICE Stops Reporting Deaths That Happen After Release
August 16, 2026
Delaney Hall, the 1,000-bed private ICE detention facility in Newark operated by GEO Group, recorded two more detainee deaths in the space of two weeks in the summer of 2026 — the second and third connected to the facility in less than a year. Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran national from Plainfield, died in ICE custody at Delaney Hall on the first weekend of August. His family said he had been denied medication. New Jersey's Democratic officials — Gov. Mikie Sherrill, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rep. Analilia Mejia — demanded answers and renewed calls to close the facility. On August 6, Booker went to the Senate floor to seek unanimous consent for a measure forcing Delaney Hall's closure. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) objected, blocking it, and argued that the Democrats' diagnosis of the detention system was "ideological." A third death surfaced separately, and only because a member of Congress disclosed it. Jose Chajon-Raxon, a Guatemalan man arrested by ICE on July 18, was treated for "seizure-like activity" a day later, taken to a hospital, and released from ICE custody on July 22 before dying. ICE had recently dropped a Biden-era rule requiring it to review and report detainee deaths occurring within 30 days after release, and DHS did not disclose the death until confirming it on August 12 after Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) revealed it. DHS said that "per ICE policy, when an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths." Menendez and Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) called the policy change a deliberate accountability loophole. All nine Democrats in New Jersey's House delegation signed a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella demanding answers. Delaney Hall was already the subject of an existing oversight fight: in May 2026, Sen. Andy Kim was pepper-sprayed outside the facility and Sherrill was denied entry during a detainee hunger strike. More than 50 immigrants have died in ICE custody since the start of the administration.
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“The pattern of abuse is plain as day. The fact that ICE is creating a loophole to avoid having to investigate or take accountability for this loss is disgusting.
“ICE — consistent with the entire ethos of the Trump administration — is dead set on avoiding public scrutiny and taking any accountability.
“The diagnosis is ideological and the prescription was written before the patient entered the room. If the bridge needs repair, you fix the bridge. You don’t blow it up and congratulate yourself for preventing future traffic accidents.
“Edwin Lopez-Cornejo's death was not a tragedy. A tragedy is something that no one could have prevented. This is a choice. I am stunned that there is this callous disregard for health. This is just in every way just unacceptable that they're allowing this to go on and not demanding that this stop.
“This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last. Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.
“Edwin's family has serious concerns about the medical treatment he received in detention, and I share those concerns.
“His detention alone was an act of cruelty, and if he indeed was denied his medication as his family reports, the operators at Delaney Hall should be charged with homicide.
“I am deeply disturbed to hear of a detainee death inside Delaney Hall this weekend. Every effort to block oversight raises serious questions about what is happening inside Delaney Hall. This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed.