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Newark ICE detention center passes fed inspection, despite rising 'deficiencies'
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 10:01 a.m. ET
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Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Nov 13, 2026 at 10:01 a.m. ET
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The Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark received a passing grade in a recent federal inspection, even as the number of deficiencies identified in a site visit nearly doubled compared to the tally from a prior inquiry.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement inspectors found 22 deficiencies at Delaney Hall during their mid-September inspection, up from 12 during an inspection in late August of last year.
The category with the highest number of concerns in the latest review was the facility’s prevention and investigation of sexual assault and abuse, with six deficiencies found, such as a lack of staff reporting investigation findings and conducting necessary reviews.
The ICE inspectors ultimately rated the facility as “acceptable/adequate.” Spokespeople for ICE and the GEO Group, the private prison company operating the site, could not be reached for comment on the findings. The site re-opened in May 2025, after the GEO Group operated the site as an ICE detention center from 2011 to 2017.
Delaney Hall earlier this year emerged as a flashpoint in the nation’s immigration debates, as hundreds of detainees inside the facility launched a hunger and labor strike, and protesters outside gathered in support, at times clashing with local and federal law enforcement officers.
The detainees’ concerns included inadequate food and lack of access to appropriate medical care and legal representation. A Gothamist investigation in June identified over 70 federal lawsuits in which detainees alleged medical neglect and deficiencies since its re-opening.
Recent lawsuits filed by state and local officials seeking entry for fire and health inspectors remain pending. State health inspectors’ review of the food service areas in late May found poor employee hygiene, unclean surfaces, and food stored at unsafe temperatures.
The findings come as ICE has come under fire for conditions at its detention facilities, as deaths of immigrants in ICE custody are at the highest level in over two decades.
The federal inspection, conducted Sept. 15 to 17, offers the most detailed official look inside the facility in the months after the strike and protests earlier this year. The inspection was conducted by ICE's Office of Detention Oversight, under its Office of Professional Responsibility. On an average day, there are about 820 people detained at the facility, according to the inspection.
Federal investigators found that facility staff didn’t report sexual assault allegations to appropriate ICE leaders, or conduct necessary reports after sexual assault investigations to determine if any policy changes were needed. It remains unclear who the assault allegations were against.
Investigators also found several cases in which detainees didn’t receive a necessary initial medical screening within 12 hours of arriving at the facility, or the comprehensive health assessment required within 14 days of arriving. In four of the 25 cases reviewed, investigators found detainees’ medications weren’t distributed properly.
Kathy O’Leary, the New Jersey coordinator for the Catholic social justice organization Pax Christi USA, said that she was surprised investigators found “so few” cases of detainees not receiving necessary medication, given that she routinely hears from detainees and their families that they don’t receive them.
“We haven’t heard of anything getting better,” O’Leary said.
She added that transparency has been "reduced significantly since May,” given stricter restrictions on who is allowed to visit detainees and which detainees local government officials are allowed to speak with.
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Race And Justice Unit
immigration and customs enforcement
new jersey
Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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