NJ ICE Prison's Air Conditioning Blows Out As Worst Heat Wave In 15 Years Fries The Region

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Several U.S. Congress members are calling for action after reports of broken air conditioning emerged at a federal immigration prison in New Jersey on Thursday.

Local activists began raising red flags this morning on social media about an alleged lack of air conditioning at Delaney Hall in Newark, which holds detainees from across the state.

The prison was the first federal detention center to reopen under the second term of President Donald Trump. Its owner, the GEO Group, is one of the largest private prison companies in the nation.

A blazing heat wave is taking place in New Jersey this week, with dangerously hot and humid conditions expected across the state.

Temperatures were predicted to reach upwards of 104 degrees on Thursday in Newark, according to the National Weather Service.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) said he is looking into the situation at Delaney Hall on Thursday afternoon:

“After receiving calls to my office, I spoke to staff on the ground to address the broken AC at Delaney Hall. I just received a new update. They are now waiting on a piece to properly repair the AC unit in one section of the facility. In the meantime, they are moving all impacted detainees into a new space with working AC.”

Two Congress members from New York also posted about the reports of no air conditioning: Reps. Adriano Espaillat and George Latimer.

“We have received constituent calls regarding the HVAC situation at Delaney Hall and are following up with ICE to ensure it is remedied,” Espaillat said. “ICE is responsible for the health and safety of detainees under its custody, and we will take all steps to ensure that responsibility is taken seriously.”

“Given the oppressive heat wave at hand, the inhumane conditions for ICE detainees at Delaney Hall and other detention facilities cannot ensure the safety of those housed there,” Latimer said. “We expect the Trump Administration to take immediate emergency action to provide cooling for detainees in these facilities – and they bear full responsibility for any harms that may result from their failure to provide adequate living conditions.”

Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers have been pushing back on allegations of mistreatment at Delaney Hall. Some have suggested that New Jersey point the finger at its own prison system, instead – including when it comes to air conditioning.

“We just toured the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton and found out maybe they should be focusing on state facilities in their own backyard instead,” New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra reported in June.

“Democrats complaining about Delaney are total hypocrites when we saw their own state prison has an entire wing without air conditioning and cells that don’t even meet basic American Correctional Association standards,” Kanitra added.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has disputed reports of poor conditions for detainees at Delaney Hall, accusing “sanctuary politicians and leftist activists” of “spreading false information.”

“For many illegal aliens, this is the best health care they have received their entire lives,” federal authorities claimed in response to complaints about a lack of medical care at the prison.

Delaney Hall formerly held immigration detainees for the federal government from 2011 to 2017 under the Obama administration, until it closed and was turned into a halfway house. The prison was the first federal detention center to reopen under the second term of President Donald Trump.

The prison’s owner, the GEO Group, is one of the largest private prison companies in the nation. The Trump administration has awarded the company a 15-year, $1 billion contract to run Delaney Hall.

Delaney Hall has seen a wave of controversy since it began holding ICE detainees again, including allegations of poor treatment, federal charges against the city’s mayor and a U.S. congresswoman, a high-profile prison escape, and a detainee who died in federal custody.

Hundreds of detainees recently launched a hunger and labor strike at the prison. Detainees say they are facing “inhumane” conditions, such as a lack of medical care, bad food and an unfair court system. They continue to demand their freedom, including the immediate release of elderly, young and pregnant people, as well as those with serious medical conditions.

The allegations have caught the attention of President Trump, who claimed that the United States runs the “finest facilities anywhere in the world of their type.”

Several U.S. Congress members have backed them up, however, including U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, who was exposed to pepper spray after trying to negotiate a compromise between protesters and ICE officers.

A power struggle over Delaney Hall also continues to play out in the courts.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill recently announced that the state attorney general’s office has filed a lawsuit against the GEO Group, demanding that the company allow state inspectors into the privately run prison.

Inspectors were previously allowed into the prison in May and gave it a passing score. However, the governor’s office alleges that it was only permitted to examine a small portion of the facility – a claim that the City of Newark has also made.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

• Related: Arrests Continue At Delaney Hall After ICE Drawdown – But They’re Slowing Down, NJ Mayor Says
• Related: NJ Sues Owner Of ICE Prison, Gov Demands Inspections Amid Wave Of Complaints
• Related: Feds Can’t Squash ‘Sanctuary’ Policies In 4 NJ Cities, Judge Rules
• Related: Protester Struck By Car Outside NJ ICE Prison Plans Lawsuit, Report Says

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