McIver GOP rival warns against politicizing death at Delaney Hall

Carmen Bucco, the Republican challenging Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) in one of the nation’s most Democratic congressional districts, is urging politicians not to conclude the death of a diabetic detainee at Delaney Hall before an official cause is determined.

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran national, died Saturday after experiencing a medical emergency while in federal immigration custody at the Newark detention center.  The official cause of death remains under investigation, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Every life matters.  Full stop,” Bucco said.  “The death of Edwin Lopez Cornejo is a human tragedy.  A man is gone.  His family is grieving.  That fact alone should command our first response: sympathy, prayers and respect for those who loved him.”

Bucco said the available information does not indicate anything nefarious and noted that diabetes can become deadly even when it is carefully managed.  He criticized officials who immediately linked the death to broader concerns about conditions at Delaney Hall.

“It is deeply troubling when any death is immediately turned into a political weapon,” Bucco said. “We can mourn a life lost without exploiting the pain of those left behind for partisan gain.”

Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other Democratic officials renewed their calls to close Delaney Hall following Lopez-Cornejo’s death, citing concerns about medical care, transparency and outside oversight.

McIver said the death was part of “a pattern of abuse and neglect” at Delaney Hall.

“I know about Delaney Hall, and I know that cruelty is at its core. Even after the deaths, violence, abuse, and mistreatment of those inside, Republican leaders, even in our own state, deny the truth and refuse to act,” McIver stated.  “Anyone who doesn’t see these heinous acts for what they are is choosing to do so.

She pledged to “shut down Delaney Hall and abolish ICE before more innocent lives are lost.”

Bucco contrasted their response with the attention given to three deaths this year at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield: Yasin Sellers, 24; Shayne Johns, 28; and Jaden Stephens, 22.  Johns’ death was ruled a homicide, and a former cellmate was charged with murder.  Patch reported that Johns suffered severe injuries to his neck and throat.

“These were young men. Their families are grieving,” Bucco said. “Yet these deaths did not dominate the news cycle. They did not trigger coordinated political statements, demands for investigations or calls to shut facilities down.”

Bucco will face McIver in November in the 10th district, where McIver won 74% in 2024, and Gov. Sherrill carried 81% last year. Bucco, a tailor and perennial candidate, was unopposed for the Republican nomination.