NEWARK, NJ — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued an update on Tuesday about the city’s ongoing legal dispute with the GEO Group, the private company that runs Delaney Hall – a federal immigration detention center that has seen a renewed wave of protest over the past week.
“For the past year, the city has been engaged in litigation with the GEO Group due to its failure to comply with municipal ordinances when it began operating Delaney Hall,” the mayor alleged.
“Our concerns remain unresolved, as critical city agencies – including the health department, fire division and code enforcement, have repeatedly been denied access to inspect the facility,” Baraka continued.
The mayor pointed to a letter that was recently signed by hundreds of detainees at the prison:
“These concerns are further substantiated by letters smuggled out by detainees themselves, which provide firsthand accounts of serious humanitarian and constitutional violations. The letters describe alarming health conditions, including widespread illness, flu outbreaks, and the denial of necessary medical treatment for chronic and life-threatening conditions such as HIV, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Detainees also report inadequate and poor-quality food, compounding these dangerous and inhumane conditions.”
“In light of these alarming reports, we are going to request assistance from the governor to empower the attorney general to immediately investigate Delaney Hall,” Baraka said. “This should include but is not limited to its certificate of occupancy, compliance with state and local regulations, and the conditions of detainees housed there.”
“I also call for a full and independent inspection by the Department of Health to assess the facility’s conditions and ensure compliance with public health and safety standards, with periodic inspections to ensure compliance moving forward,” he added.
Federal law enforcement officers have been clashing with protesters outside the prison over the past few days.
Detainees launched a hunger strike at Delaney Hall last Friday, alleging that they are facing “inhumane” conditions including bad food, medical neglect and problems with visitation – claims that federal authorities and the GEO Group have denied.
“No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been treated better than illegal aliens in the United States,” a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Patch when asked to comment on the letter from detainees at Delaney Hall.
The escalating situation has attracted attention from elected officials including Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who was denied entry to the prison on Monday. Another New Jersey politician – U.S. Sen. Andy Kim – was treated for pepper spray exposure after a skirmish between federal agents and demonstrators over the Memorial Day weekend.
The 1,000-bed prison is the first federal detention center to open under the second term of President Donald Trump. Delaney Hall has seen a wave of controversy since then, including allegations of poor treatment of detainees and visitors, several arrests involving demonstrators, 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.
Its owner, the GEO Group, is one of the largest private prison companies in the nation.
>> RELATED: Feds Clash With NJ Protesters Outside ICE Prison, Governor Denied Visit As Hunger Strike Continues
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