A growing public and legal conflict over alleged inhumane conditions at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, has thrown the facility into the national spotlight, sparking violent street clashes, an overnight curfew, and dueling legal actions between state and local officials and federal authorities. The facility, operated by private prison contractor GEO Group under a multi-billion dollar federal contract, is at the center of a lawsuit filed by the state of New Jersey, which accuses the company of blocking full access for state public health inspectors probing claims of unsanitary conditions and risky infection control.
According to the state’s legal filing, inspectors were turned away from the facility on May 27, with GEO Group citing a high volume of congressional visitor tours. When access was granted the following day, state officials claim entry was severely restricted, and inspectors were specifically barred from entering the center’s on-site medical unit. The lawsuit outlines multiple serious allegations, including improper food and drink preparation and storage that creates unsanitary conditions for detainees, as well as reports of inadequate protocols to control the spread of tuberculosis, a contagious respiratory infection that poses major risks in crowded closed facilities.
In a public statement supporting the legal action, New Jersey Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill pushed back against claims from GEO Group and federal officials that conditions at the center are safe and sanitary. “If the GEO Group – with a $1 billion government contract – has nothing to hide, then there is no legitimate reason why my health inspectors are being kept from full access throughout the building,” Sherrill said.
Federal officials have rejected the state’s claims outright, labeling the lawsuit “frivolous” and asserting that full transparency has already been provided. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that four New Jersey health department representatives were allowed to enter the facility on May 28 to inspect the food service department, adding that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains committed to following all state and local laws. GEO Group has not issued any public response to the lawsuit as of press time.
The legal fight comes after weeks of growing unrest tied to conditions at Delaney Hall. Immigration advocacy groups claim that detainees launched a hunger strike at the facility starting May 22 to protest poor treatment. DHS has disputed the existence of a coordinated hunger strike, with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressing the claims during a recent cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump. Mullin downplayed the protest, saying only a small number of detainees refused meals to demand culturally specific food, adding, “This isn’t Holiday Inn.”
Tensions boiled over outside the facility over the past week, with repeated protests against the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies that at times turned violent. On May 30, clashes broke out between demonstrators and law enforcement outside the center. New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim confirmed he was hit with pepper spray during a protest he attended during a visit to the facility on May 25. Governor Sherrill has publicly condemned violence from both sides, specifically rebuking “masked individuals” for aggressive and dangerous actions against local police officers.
In response to the ongoing unrest, the city of Newark implemented an overnight curfew in the area surrounding Delaney Hall. On the first night of the curfew, protesters held a rally in a designated zone before the curfew went into effect, and law enforcement peacefully escorted demonstrators out of the area with no arrests reported.
Newark’s Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested last year on trespassing charges after attempting to force entry into the facility to inspect conditions, is now pushing for permanent closure of Delaney Hall. Baraka announced Tuesday that the city is developing its own legal strategy to shut down the center, telling reporters, “This is a dispute about human lives, about people and the way they are being treated.” He added that the city will maintain a consistent police presence around the facility to maintain public order.
Delaney Hall is not the only immigration detention facility to face widespread public backlash in recent weeks. The unrest in Newark follows similar mass protests at the Dilley Detention Center in Texas and at the 26 Federal Plaza court building in New York City, as debates over immigration policy and detention conditions continue to roil national politics ahead of upcoming elections.