“Conditions Any of Us Would Recognize as Torture”

McIver Returns to Delaney Hall in light of Detainee “S.O.S.” Letter

NEWARK, NJ —Yesterday, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) returned to the ICE detention center at Delaney Hall to investigate claims made in a recent open letter from detainees. The congresswoman conducted an unannounced oversight visit with Reps. Rob Menendez (NJ-07) and Analilia Mejia (NJ-11), where she observed the conditions at the facility and spoke to detainees who gave additional details that built upon claims of abuse detailed in the letter. In a press conference following the visit, McIver, Menendez, and Mejia reported on the conditions. Excerpts of the press conference can be found here.

“Until the abuses end and they abolish ICE, I’m going to continue to show up here and do my job,” said McIver. “In an act of real bravery and obvious desperation, detainees wrote a letter about the conditions that they are facing here at Delaney Hall. Not enough food, no medical care, and conditions they call torture—conditions any of us would recognize as torture. After coming out of the facility, I can tell you that everything in the letter is 100% correct. ICE and DHS will lie and lie because the only thing that they care about is getting caught—which is why we do these unannounced oversight visits.”

“What we said over a year ago at Delaney Hall was that no one is safe in Trump’s America,” said Menendez. “We see that with every single visit when we see pastors, mothers, and disabled individuals being held here instead of the criminals the Trump Administration claimed it was targeting. All while ICE continues to try to break these people and steal their humanity. We won’t let them do this in the dark, and we will continue to shine light onto what is going on behind closed doors until we shut this facility down.”

“I just visited Delaney Hall, and my worst fears are confirmed,” said Mejia. “A year ago, I was an advocate, standing outside watching Mayor Ras Baraka get arrested and three Members of Congress get manhandled. And today, I visited Delaney Hall with two of my congressional colleagues who were there that day, and the injustice and suffering are visible in plain sight. I may never forget the faces of those detainees begging for help. These people deserve the fullness of our Constitution and laws. My father used to say it’s only by the grace of God that we walk. Today, I saw the path some of these immigrant detainees walk, and we must do better. These immigrants deserve humanity, and we must fight for justice. It’s time to rein in on ICE.”

This is McIver’s third visit to Delaney Hall. The chaos created by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during McIver’s first visit to Delaney Hall, led to the Trump administration bringing baseless charges against her for conducting oversight. Her second visit came on the heels of the death of Jean Wilson Brutus in ICE custody.

McIver continues to be an outspoken advocate for oversight of ICE and DHS. In light of the administration's continued efforts to thwart oversight, McIver introduced the No Delay for Immigration Oversight Act last week. The law would protect the necessary congressional oversight Trump’s administration has worked to criminalize by tightening regulations on ICE and DHS.

Her case is ongoing. In April, McIver and counsel filed a brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in U.S. v. McIver arguing that the Trump Department of Justice cannot prosecute her for doing her job, nor can it selectively prosecute her because of her opposition to the administration’s mass deportation agenda. The government has now replied to that brief. McIver is appealing the decision by the district court, declining to dismiss the case that was filed against her by then-interim U.S. Attorney, and Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Alina Habba. McIver’s next court appearance will be in relation to this appeal. Oral arguments before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals are slated for June 23, 2026.

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