TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin, and Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, representing New Jersey's 29th Legislative District, issued the following joint statement in response to the death of an individual detained at Delaney Hall over the weekend:

“Our hearts are with the family and friends of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, who lost his life while in custody at Delaney Hall. Every family deserves the assurance that their loved one will not be put at risk while in detention, and this tragedy marks the second death in less than a year to leave a community mourning.

“All detainees have rights and deserve to be treated with dignity, yet this Administration and ICE have consistently shown a profound disregard for both. They have blocked any meaningful inspection of the facility and have faced no accountability for endangering those behind its gates. We cannot allow their abuse and neglect to go unchecked; we must stand up for our neighbors in detention, demand answers, and keep pushing for meaningful oversight.

“We have long opposed private prisons that profit off of human suffering, and Delaney Hall is no different. It must be shut down, and no facility like it should ever again operate in New Jersey. Until that day, we will continue to call for transparency and the humane treatment of all people.”