A Third Detainee Has Died at ICE’s Delaney Hall — and No One Reported It

A third detainee has died in ICE custody at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, within roughly eight months, Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., disclosed Aug. 5. Menendez said the man suffered a seizure shortly after arriving at the facility in late July; GEO Group and ICE staff told him emergency medical services were called and the detainee died after being transferred to University Hospital [1]. ICE did not publicly report the death, reportedly because the man had technically been released to hospital custody before he died — a gap tied to a June 4 policy memo from Acting ICE Director Venturella that eliminated the requirement to report and investigate deaths occurring within 30 days of a detainee’s release from custody [2].

The disclosure follows the Aug. 1 death of 41-year-old Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, who had reentered the country illegally after a prior deportation. Lopez-Cornejo’s family says he was denied medication for epilepsy, diabetes and high blood pressure, a claim ICE disputes; the Department of Homeland Security says facility and medical staff “responded immediately” when he suffered a medical emergency [3, 4]. A first detainee, 41-year-old Jean Wilson Brutus, died in December 2025 of suspected natural causes a day after his arrest [3].

Why It Sucks:

Immigration Detention Reform Advocates and Congressional Democrats

• Three deaths in eight months went largely unreported. Rep. Menendez says the public only learned of the third death because he disclosed it himself, raising questions about how many other incidents have gone undisclosed under the current reporting rules [1, 2].
• A policy change conveniently narrowed disclosure requirements. Advocates point to the June 4 memo eliminating the 30-day post-release reporting requirement as evidence that ICE weakened accountability just as deaths at the facility began mounting [2].
• Medical neglect claims keep recurring. Lopez-Cornejo’s family’s allegation that he was denied medication for chronic conditions echoes long-standing complaints about inadequate care at Delaney Hall, which New Jersey officials have repeatedly demanded be closed [3, 4].

ICE, DHS and Immigration Enforcement Supporters

• Staff responded appropriately in a real emergency. DHS says facility and medical personnel called 911 and responded immediately when Lopez-Cornejo’s medical emergency occurred, and maintains ICE’s account of adequate care is being overshadowed by advocacy narratives [4].
• Some detainees have serious criminal or immigration histories. Coverage noting that Lopez-Cornejo had illegally reentered the country after a prior deportation is, to enforcement supporters, a relevant fact often left out of coverage focused solely on facility conditions [3].
• Politicizing deaths undermines legitimate enforcement. Supporters argue that individual medical incidents, however tragic, are being used to build a broader case against detention policy rather than evaluated on their own facts [3, 4].

Detained Migrants’ Families

• Families are left without direct answers. Relatives of Lopez-Cornejo and other detainees say they’ve had to rely on secondhand accounts and advocacy groups rather than getting timely, direct information from ICE or GEO Group about what happened [3, 4].
• Chronic health conditions raise the stakes of any delay. For families with detained relatives managing epilepsy, diabetes or heart conditions, the dispute over medication access is not abstract policy but an immediate safety concern [3].
• A death being reclassified as “released” feels like a loophole. Learning that a relative’s death may not count as an in-custody death because of the timing of a hospital transfer adds to families’ distrust of the facility’s transparency [2].

Sources & Citations:

[1] Democracy Now: Third Immigrant Dies in Detention at Notorious ICE Jail Delaney Hall
[2] Jersey Vindicator: Third Delaney Hall death went unreported
[3] Fox News: ICE detainee who illegally re-entered US after deportation dies at Delaney Hall
[4] NPR: Officials have confirmed that an immigrant in ICE custody at Delaney Hall has died