New Jersey Governor Says ICE Restricted State Health Officials’ Access to Delaney Hall

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said on May 28 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has denied the state Health Department full access to Delaney Hall amid anti-immigration protests outside the detention center.

Delaney Hall, run by GEO Group in Newark, New Jersey, has been the site of ongoing protests amid concerns over how detainees are being treated.

Sherrill said that the Health Department attempted to inspect the facility on May 28 but was denied full access, with ICE allowing state officials to inspect only a limited part of the facility.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view,” the governor said in a statement.

Sherrill said that her office would review the Health Department’s findings from the inspection and continue to “pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility.”

She urged federal immigration authorities to de-escalate the situation at Delaney Hall and called for the detention center to be “closed down.”

Following that, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said that four representatives of the state Health Department entered the facility on May 28 and inspected the food service department.

State health officials inspected the kitchen at Delaney Hall and left the facility after spending more than an hour there, according to Mullin. He did not say the extent of access granted to the department.

Addressing concerns about living conditions at the detention center, Mullin said the Department of Homeland Security works with external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities meet national standards.

“@ICEgov is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance based national detention standards,” he said in a post on X.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

Protests outside Delaney Hall have continued for days as immigration activists, community groups, and Democratic officials demand greater transparency over conditions inside.

Tensions escalated outside the facility on May 25 as protesters clashed with ICE agents. Protesters alleged mistreatment inside the detention center and called for it to be shut down.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on May 25 rejected accusations surrounding conditions inside Delaney Hall and accused Democratic politicians of spreading misinformation.

The department said detainees receive three meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries. Detainees were also provided access to phones, lawyers, and medical care, including dental and mental health services, it added.

“There are NO subprime conditions or abuse at the facility,” acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “These types of smears are contributing to our officers facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them as they remove the worst of the worst.”

Evgenia Filimianova contributed to this report.