New Jersey sues over controversial Delaney Hall ICE detention center
DHS said ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies. New Jersey health officials said they could only inspect part of the facility.
New Jersey's health commissioner on June 2 sued the operators of a controversial federal immigrant detention center, saying they barred health inspectors from critical areas of the facility.
State Health Commissioner Raynard Washington said that, when his team tried to inspect Newark's Delaney Hall in late May, they were only allowed access to the privately run U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility's food services area, according to the 18-page lawsuit filed in state Superior Court. The state is suing the GEO Group, which owns and operates Delaney Hall under an estimated 15-year, $1 billion federal contract.
Delaney Hall has been at the center of the debate in New Jersey over President Donald Trump's campaign promises to dramatically increase immigration enforcement across the United States. Reports of a labor and hunger strike in late May over poor conditions at Delaney Hall, which has capacity to house over 1,000 people, drew large protests outside the facility that resulted in clashes with police in recent days.
Washington said he sent in the team after seeing complaints raised about crowding, poor ventilation, lack of medical care, unsanitary bathrooms and other conditions at Delaney Hall.
"Any facility housing people in New Jersey must meet basic standards under the law to prevent the spread of disease, keep food and water safe, and minimize health risks," Washington said in a statement. "That includes Delaney Hall.”
Representatives for the GEO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, called the lawsuit "frivolous."
"ICE is committed to transparency, and Delaney Hall complies with all required state and local laws," the statement said.
The U.S. Department of Justice, which represents the federal government, declined to comment on ongoing litigation.
The state's lawsuit, filed by the state attorney general's office, said inspectors on May 28 were not allowed to observe conditions in the medical unit, bathrooms, showers or sleeping areas or the facility's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
DHS said four state health department officials entered the facility around 11 a.m. on May 28 and inspected the food-service department, including the kitchen, and left at 12:30 p.m. The agency said it would continue to "grant state and local inspectors’ access to the facility where appropriate."
DHS said ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies, adding that all detainees get proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.
The state health department routinely inspects medical facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes that it licenses, the lawsuit said. It is also able to inspect other facilities, including a "public or private place of detention," the lawsuit said.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said that if GEO Group had nothing to hide and that conditions were as safe and sanitary as the company and the Trump administration say, then there wasn't a reason why state health inspectors couldn't get full access to the building.
"The people of New Jersey deserve transparency and accountability," Sherrill said in a statement, adding that she would use her office's full powers to advocate for detainees and their families. Sherrill, like other New Jersey Democrats, has called for Delaney Hall's closure.