New Jersey’s Democratic attorney general opened an investigation into Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s controversial detention center at Delaney Hall.
Attention has shifted back to Delaney Hall after Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, died in the facility last week. Democrats have rallied to take action against the center, and on Friday, state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the start of a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall.
“New Jersey has a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people in our State,” she said in a statement. “For detained individuals, including those held by a private corporation like GEO Group, those rights include the right to humane treatment and adequate medical care. We will take every action available under law to safeguard these core legal principles. We ask individuals to share their personal experiences with us so that we can take action to ensure that rights are protected.”
Yolanda Melville, the director of the Division on Civil Rights, said upholding civil rights in all environments was a “fundamental responsibility.”
“Our investigation will be thorough, impartial, and guided by the requirements and protections established by New Jersey law,” she said.
The investigation will focus on whether actions by employees of GEO Group, the private company that operates the facility, violated the civil rights of people detained at the facility.
Davenport already filed a lawsuit on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Health against GEO Group in June, and the litigation is ongoing.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has defended the facility and its employees, saying in a Wednesday interview with NewsNation that officials did a “great job” in handling Lopez-Cornejo’s medical emergency.
MULLIN DEFENDS HANDLING OF DELANEY HALL FATALITY AFTER BACKLASH OVER ICE DEATH
“He died at the hospital, not in our custody,” Mullin said. “We do a great job. We meet federal standards and exceed federal standards.”
New Jersey Democrats have united around the cause of shutting down Delaney Hall, including both its senators and Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).