New Jersey state health inspectors returned to the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark last week amid concerns about conditions inside the facility and ongoing litigation about the state’s oversight powers over it.
The inspectors visited Delaney Hall on Friday. Dalya Ewais, a spokesperson for the state health department, said details of the inspection were not yet available, but added that a final report would be released publicly at a later time.
“The inspection conducted is subject to confidentiality terms of mediation as part of ongoing litigation,” Ewais said. “Therefore, no further details are available at this time.”
It is unclear when the final report will be released.
Inspectors were given access to all five housing units, the medical unit and the “special management unit” inside Delaney Hall, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security. Access was also granted to the intake area, law library, cafeteria, kitchen, recreation areas, boiler room and HVAC system, DHS said.
The DHS spokesperson also said inspectors were able to observe operations inside the facility, and were allowed to speak with two detainees who volunteered to participate.
The City of Newark’s health department was also present for the visit, according to DHS.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka confirmed that city health inspectors were present on Friday, adding that it was the first time they had been allowed inside Delaney Hall. Baraka said he couldn't give details about what the inspectors found because he had not seen their report.
New Jersey sued DHS earlier this year after state health inspectors were only granted access to food service areas inside Delaney Hall. That previous inspection found poor employee hygiene, unclean surfaces and food stored at unsafe temperatures, and the lawsuit remains ongoing.
There have been at least three deaths from medical emergencies related to Delaney Hall — including two this summer — since it opened as an ICE detention center last year. A Gothamist review found more than 70 federal lawsuits filed by detainees alleging medical neglect at the facility.
New Jersey’s attorney general’s office has launched a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall. Congressional Democrats have pledged stricter oversight of the facility if they take back power in this year’s midterm elections.
This story has been updated to include more information.
