Booker, Kim Seek Unanimous Consent to Pass Bill Requiring Closure of Delaney Hall ICE Detention Facility
| Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D‑NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Andy Kim (D-NJ), sought unanimous consent to immediately pass the Delaney Hall Closure Act, legislation requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to permanently close the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark within 90 days.
Senator Booker took to the Senate floor to call for the closing of Delaney Hall following the death of Edwin Lopez‑Cornejo, who died on Saturday, August 1, while in ICE custody. Mr. Lopez‑Cornejo is the third person in the past nine months to die while or immediately after being detained at Delaney Hall and his death comes amid mounting evidence of dangerous and inhumane conditions, inadequate medical care, and systemic failures at the privately operated facility. Senator Booker has conducted multiple oversight visits to Delaney Hall, where he witnessed firsthand degrading conditions, insufficient medical care, and spoke directly with detainees about repeated failures to protect their health and safety. At least 56 people have died in ICE custody during President Trump’s second term, and more than 70 percent of people detained by ICE have never been convicted of a criminal offense. “Three people have now died at Delaney Hall, and unless Congress acts, there will be more. I have inspected this facility myself and seen the dangerous conditions with my own eyes. No one should die because the government failed to provide basic care to those in custody. Delaney Hall has become a symbol of neglect, abuse, and a failed detention system, and every day it remains open puts more lives at risk,” said Senator Booker. “What I have seen and heard inside Delaney Hall over the last year is absolutely unacceptable and highlights why private prisons like GEO group have no place in New Jersey,” said Senator Kim. “The treatment of those inside is unjust and cruel; I’m cosponsoring this bill because it’s time to shut down Delaney Hall for good before anyone else is harmed.” Senator Booker has repeatedly pushed for stronger oversight and accountability across the immigration detention system. Earlier this year, he introduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, comprehensive legislation that would ban private detention centers, end family detention, and strengthen detention standards, improve oversight, and better protect the health, safety, and civil rights of people in ICE custody. He also introduced legislation to restore the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO), strengthen accountability for private immigration detention contractors, and the Governors’ Right to Inspect Act, which would authorize governors and state public health and safety officials to inspect immigration detention facilities within their states. SEE ALSO:
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