The Biden-era restrictions on federal immigration detention centers in New Jersey have been reversed, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) securing a contract to reopen Delaney Hall in Newark. The facility, with a capacity of 1,000 beds, will be the largest of its kind on the East Coast.
ICE acting director Caleb Vitello confirmed the reopening, stating that the facility would play a key role in President Donald Trump’s directive to enforce immigration laws more aggressively. “The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody,” Vitello said in a statement.
Delaney Hall, a privately owned detention facility managed by GEO Group, previously housed ICE detainees from 2011 to 2017. The company successfully sued New Jersey to overturn a state law banning new immigration detention centers. A federal judge ruled that the state’s restrictions do not apply to privately operated facilities, clearing the way for Delaney Hall’s reopening.
https://twitter.com/ICEgov/status/1894944906814070983
The contract between ICE and GEO Group is valued at $60 million per year for the next 15 years, totaling $900 million. The company has already invested $5 million into facility upgrades to prepare for its reopening.
https://twitter.com/JamesWolverton6/status/1895296979229646913
Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey have strongly opposed the decision. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) condemned the move, stating that private detention centers “lack accountability” and contribute to poor conditions for detainees. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) called the expansion of detention centers a continuation of what he described as the administration’s “crusade against immigrant families.”
Activist groups, including the ACLU of New Jersey and Make the Road New Jersey, have also pushed back, arguing that the reopening of Delaney Hall will create fear in immigrant communities. Despite the opposition, ICE has maintained that the facility will allow for more efficient enforcement of immigration laws.
While New Jersey has only one active immigration detention center in Elizabeth, other states in the region, such as Pennsylvania and New York, maintain larger-scale facilities. The Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania currently holds over 1,000 detainees, making it the largest immigration detention center in the Northeast.
