Reps. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) and LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), two local members of the House from Newark, are strongly opposing the news that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will reopen Delaney Hall, a significant immigration processing and detention facility in the city’s East Ward.
ICE said Friday night that the 1,000-bed facility, which is owned by the private prison contractor Geo Group, will soon begin detaining undocumented immigrants again after doing so from 2011 to 2017. According to The City, it will be the largest detention facility in the New York metropolitan area and the first to open during the second Trump administration, according to ICE.
McIver and Menendez claimed the statement was an insult to their people, many of whom are immigrants and who voted for Kamala Harris last year. The announcement coincides with President Donald Trump’s plans to enact a nationwide deportation program.
According to a statement from McIver, the Delaney Hall deal is directly against the wishes of the people of Newark. Together with my New Jersey colleagues, I condemned the facility’s possible opening earlier this month because privately run prisons undermine public confidence in our institutions and their lack of transparency frequently results in subpar conditions and lengthier sentences. More than two million immigrants call New Jersey home, and I will not stand by while Trump’s policies continue to harass and hurt our neighbors.
Menendez agreed that the announcement of Delaney Hall’s reopening today is a step in the wrong direction. These expansion initiatives are merely a continuation of the President’s cruel campaign against hard-working immigrant families; they will not increase national security.
Naturally, despite the fact that McIver’s district includes the facility, Menendez and McIver, who represent Newark, have no formal control over what ICE decides to conduct in their districts. However, Menendez raised the possibility of legal action over Delaney Hall; in 2021, New Jersey passed legislation that forbade private firms from signing new contracts for immigration detention; however, a federal judge appointed by Biden declared the measure unconstitutional. (The state has filed an appeal.)
Our dedication to protecting our people’ welfare is strong, and we will take all necessary precautions to ward off these senseless and vicious acts, including strict oversight and, if required, legal action, Menendez stated.
In the past, Menendez, McIver, and Democratic Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) have fought immigration officials over a smaller facility in Elizabeth that the state had attempted in vain to close under its anti-detention center law. When the three members of the House paid an unexpected visit to the facility earlier this month, they were first turned away before being granted entry.
Additionally, it has been claimed that the Trump administration may use military installations across the nation, including Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, for detention and deportation. Reps. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) and Chris Smith (R-Manchester), two local congressmen, were somewhat taken aback by the news. Conaway was very doubtful of the plan, but Smith stated that he is not against it if the base can accommodate an inflow of immigrants.
