Newark Mayor Ras Baraka along with city officials and local advocates gathered at the entrance of Delaney Hall immigration detention center on Tuesday, demanding answers after fire and code enforcement officials were blocked from entering the facility.
The controversial 1,000-bed facility is owned by the private prison company GEO Group, which entered into a 15-year, $1 billion contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February.
“We are trying to get in, and we are going to get in today,” said Baraka, who is also running for New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination. “It doesn’t matter who is inside, I think they may have detainees, they shouldn’t be in there. We allowed the courts to negotiate this when there were no detainees and just workers, GEO and us. ICE doesn’t have a long-term lease with these folks, so GEO is completely responsible and hiding behind ICE right now.
“They keep saying that ICE has to give us permission to come in, which is completely untrue,” Baraka said. “Fire officials can go inside a building at any time they want to do any inspections, and they’re not allowing them in. Fire officials were here, code officials were here yesterday, and they wouldn’t let us in. And now I am here today.”
ICE confirmed to NJ Spotlight News that Delaney Hall has been housing detainees as of May 1, a month ahead of schedule. But the federal immigration agency did not confirm the number of people currently held inside, saying in a statement that the number “constantly changes as detainees transfer in and out on a recurring basis.
“ICE leverages a diverse detention network — including private facilities — to ensure all aliens reside in safe, secure and humane environments during their time in ICE custody,” the statement read.
Jenny Garcia, an advocate and senior communications associate with Detention Watch Network, raised concerns about the health risks linked to the detention center’s location. Garcia, whose cousin was previously detained by ICE, stressed that the site’s surroundings add another layer of risk for those being detained.
“The folks who are watching this cannot smell the rancid smell that is out here with trucks passing by and sewage around,” she said. “Not just the conditions inside the detention center, but we understand this area in Newark in Ironbound is called the toxic quarters for a reason. It’s not safe for people to be breathing this air and not just those who are detained at Delaney Hall, but also the people who work here.”
The GEO Group disputes this, saying it has a valid certificate of occupancy and is in compliance with all health and safety requirements. The city has sued the prison company over the permits. The GEO Group called the mayor’s actions Tuesday a publicity stunt and an attempt to interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
“The Mayor and City Officials have been advised multiple times, both directly and in court proceedings, that access to all federal immigration processing centers is governed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” read the company’s statement. “The Mayor has chosen to blatantly ignore these established processes to advance his political agenda, and in doing so has put the safety and security of our employees at risk and demonstrated a complete disregard for the safety of the individuals housed at the facility.”
The mayor is hoping he won’t need to barricade the building, but in the meantime is asking for a judge to rule on the city’s request to allow inspectors, local fire and safety officials into the building.
