Gov. Mikie Sherrill and members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation are demanding an investigation into the death of a Plainfield man held at Delaney Hall, renewing calls to permanently close the privately operated immigration detention center in Newark.
Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo died Saturday after experiencing a medical emergency while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His family says he had diabetes and high blood pressure and was not provided with prescribed medication during the rough six weeks he was detained.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson identified Lopez Cornejo as a 41-year-old Salvadoran national.
According to federal officials, Delaney Hall staff and medical personnel responded to the emergency and called 911. Lopez Cornejo was transported to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead. A cause of death has not been released, pending an autopsy.
The federal government has not addressed his family’s allegation that he was denied medication.
“I am deeply disturbed to hear of a detainee death inside Delaney Hall this weekend,” Sherrill said. “My heart is with the individual’s loved ones, who deserve answers about what happened.”
Sherrill said her administration is working with members of the state’s congressional delegation to gather information about Lopez Cornejo’s death while continuing efforts to conduct a full health inspection of the facility.
The state has said federal officials repeatedly blocked inspectors from gaining complete access to Delaney Hall, including its medical unit.
“Every effort to block oversight raises serious questions about what is happening inside Delaney Hall and what those operating the facility are trying to hide,” Sherrill said. “This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed.”
Delaney Hall is operated by GEO Group, a private corrections company, under a contract with ICE. GEO referred questions about the death to the federal government.
Sherrill said she has long opposed allowing private companies to operate prisons and immigration detention centers.
“Corporations should not have the right to monetize imprisoning people while avoiding public accountability,” she said.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker called Lopez Cornejo’s death “unacceptable” and said initial reports about his medical care were “deeply disturbing.”
“This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last,” Booker said. “I have visited the facility myself and witnessed these conditions firsthand, so I say this plainly: Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.”
Another detainee, Jean Wilson Brutus, died in December after suffering a medical emergency shortly after arriving at Delaney Hall.
Booker said he is demanding records from ICE concerning Lopez Cornejo’s medical care and renewed his call for Congress to pass the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would end the federal government’s use of private immigration detention facilities.
“This man should be alive today,” Booker said. “Delaney Hall should have been closed already.”
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) said Lopez Cornejo had lived in the United States since childhood and described him as an upstanding member of his community.
“His detention alone was an act of cruelty, and if he indeed was denied his medication as his family reports, the operators at Delaney Hall should be charged with homicide,” Watson Coleman said.
Watson Coleman asked ICE to provide a detailed timeline of the medical emergency, including when Lopez Cornejo became ill, when assistance was requested and when he was taken to the hospital. She also requested his medical records, information about access to prescribed medication, family-notification records and any internal incident or oversight reports.
Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-Glen Ridge) said Lopez Cornejo was a father who had made his life in the United States over the last two decades.
“Edwin’s family has serious concerns about the medical treatment he received in detention, and I share those concerns,” Mejia said.
Mejia called for a full, independent Department of Homeland Security investigation and questioned why state health inspectors have been prevented from examining all areas of the facility.
“If there’s nothing to hide, there’s no reason to keep them out,” she said. “ This family, and New Jersey, deserve real answers, justice, and accountability.”
Mejia went further than other officials by calling for ICE to be abolished and replaced with a new immigration enforcement system.
“Under these conditions, medically vulnerable people are being given death sentences due to the lack of care,” she said. “Delaney Hall must be shut down.”