U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) conducted an oversight visit this week to the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark.
Her visit follows the recent death of a 41-year-old Haitian man detained at Delaney Hall in Newark one day after entering ICE custody. The death of Jean Wilson Brutus prompted renewed calls from immigrant advocates and lawmakers for transparency and accountability at the privately-run detention center.
After the visit, she shed light on troubling conditions for detainees following the death of Jean Wilson Brutus earlier this month.
“This was my first visit back since June, and what we saw inside was horrible,” McIver told MS NOW reporter Nnamdi Egwuonwu.
During her tour, the Congresswoman spoke with over 20 detainees, many of whom expressed concerns about the facility’s lack of adequate food, healthcare, and mental health services.
McIver also highlighted the absence of essential care for women, including access to OBGYN services and feminine hygiene products.
“Over and over, detainees told us about the stress, the lack of information, and the dire conditions,” she said, noting that some detainees were held despite having approved student or work visas.
The Congresswoman previously faced federal charges for allegedly impeding immigration officers during a June altercation at the facility; those charges have not yet been dropped.
Following the visit, McIver confirmed that she and colleagues have sent a letter to oversight authorities calling for a full investigation and the closure of the Delaney Hall facility.
“The conditions here confirm what we already know about systemic issues in immigration detention,” she said. “This facility should be closed.”
The Delaney Hall center, like many ICE detention facilities nationwide, has faced criticism for inadequate care, lack of transparency, and conditions that advocates say put detainees’ health and safety at risk.
McIver’s visit comes amid growing calls from lawmakers and human rights organizations to reform or close facilities that fail to meet basic humanitarian standards.
