Lawmakers clash over immigration enforcement at Delaney Hall Detention Center
Tensions flared during a House Judiciary Committee hearing focused on immigration enforcement and the conditions inside New Jersey’s Delaney Hall Detention Center. Bill Melugin reported on “Special Report” as Republican lawmakers pushed back against what they described as “false narratives” surrounding ICE’s treatment of detainees, while Democrats cited allegations of inhumane conditions and hunger strikes at the Newark facility.
A 41-year-old man from El Salvador who had previously been deported and later re-entered the United States illegally has died while in federal custody, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Monday.
ICE identified the man as Edwin Lopez-Cornejo and said he died Aug. 1 at University Hospital in Newark after experiencing a medical emergency while being held at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility.
According to ICE, employees of the GEO Group, the private company that operates Delaney Hall, responded alongside medical staff and contacted 911 after the emergency unfolded.
Officials said a formal medical review has not yet determined Lopez-Cornejo’s official cause of death.
ICE agents stand guard as protesters gather outside the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall in Newark, where detained immigrants are being held, on May 26, 2026, in Newark, New Jersey. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Lopez-Cornejo was initially taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol after entering the country without inspection on or around Aug. 13, 2006.
An immigration judge with the Department of Justice ordered his removal on Aug. 25, 2006, and he was deported to El Salvador on Oct. 19 of that year.
He later re-entered the U.S. illegally on an unknown date before ICE officers arrested him in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18.
He was held at Delaney Hall pending removal pursuant to the reinstatement of his prior removal order.
ICE officials said that Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care during his detention.
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Protesters, politicians and ICE agents gather outside Delaney Hall, an immigration facility in Newark, N.J., on May 27, 2026. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for News Outlet)
The agency notified the Department of Homeland Security oversight offices, the Consulate of El Salvador in Elizabeth, and Lopez-Cornejo’s next of kin, the statement said.
Lopez-Cornejo’s death drew swift condemnation from New Jersey officials, who reiterated demands to shut down Delaney Hall.
“I am deeply disturbed to hear of a detainee death inside Delaney Hall this weekend,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement. “My heart is with the individual’s loved ones, who deserve answers about what happened. My administration is working with our congressional delegation to gather all the facts surrounding this death.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she was “deeply disturbed” to hear of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo’s death. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for News Outlet; Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed,” Sherrill added.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka also issued a statement condemning the incident.
“In less than a year, yet another family is forced to endure the unimaginable loss of a loved one while in custody at Delaney Hall,” Baraka said. “The death of Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo is a heartbreaking reminder of the consequences of a facility that has operated for far too long without adequate oversight, accountability or transparency.”
Another detainee, Jean Wilson Brutus, 41, died Dec. 12, 2025, after suffering a medical emergency less than 24 hours after entering the facility.
The New Jersey facility has repeatedly been accused by state and local inspectors of obstructing health and safety inspections and has been the site of ongoing protests and detainee hunger strikes over food quality, overcrowding and medical care.
News Outlet has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
