Swansenreport

Delaney Hall Returns: Congress Members Visit Newark ICE Detention Amid Hunger Strike Claims

Democratic members of Congress descended on Delaney Hall — the Newark ICE detention facility that has been a flashpoint since it opened a year ago — Wednesday afternoon, as advocates claimed detainees inside are on a hunger strike and conditions have become “inhumane.”

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) completed a roughly one-hour tour of the facility and emerged vowing to shut it down. “We will shut this center down. We will shut it down,” he told demonstrators outside. Reps. Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman, also Manhattan Democrats, did not tour the inside but spoke with protesters and family members of detainees gathered at the security gate. More than 50 people held signs reading “Stop Family Separation” and chanted “Free Them All.” LifeZette

The ACLU of New Jersey said its organization has heard reports of detainees — including pregnant women — not receiving adequate medical care. ICE has not confirmed or denied the hunger strike claims. LifeZette

Delaney Hall has been a recurring flashpoint. Located along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay and operated by a private prison company, the 1,000-bed facility opened last May and has been the site of multiple protests and clashes. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver were among those arrested during demonstrations at the facility’s opening — charges that were later dropped. LifeZette

The congressional oversight question remains legally unresolved. Federal law gives members of Congress the right to conduct unannounced oversight visits at detention facilities. ICE has attempted to redefine some facilities as non-detention “transit” locations to sidestep that requirement, a policy that Reason magazine and civil liberties groups have called a direct violation of congressional authority. Yahoo!

The tweet’s suggestion that American citizens are being held inside cannot be independently confirmed from today’s visit. The standard congressional and activist claim is that detainees include people with legal status or pending cases — a different allegation than citizenship. ICE maintains that Delaney Hall holds individuals with final orders of removal or pending immigration proceedings.

Sources: AP / ClickOrlando | Boston Globe / AP | Reason — Congressional Oversight | Fox News — Delaney Hall History