Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, died after a medical emergency at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, ICE said. Family members and advocates say he had chronic conditions and was denied medication while in custody, claims officials have not confirmed. The facility has seen a second death in under a year, prompting protests and calls from local leaders for investigation and potential closure.
Salvadoran Detainee Dies After Medical Emergency at New Jersey ICE Facility — Second Death in Under a Year
Gabriela Soto, whose husband has been in ICE detention for more than five months, cries as she hugs a protester outside Delaney Hall detention centre, after Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died on Saturday, in Newark, New Jersey [Ryan Murphy/Reuters]
Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran man detained at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, died after suffering a medical emergency and being taken to a local hospital, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said. The death, confirmed in an agency statement on Monday, is the second fatality at the facility in under a year.
According to ICE, staff from GEO Group — the private contractor that operates Delaney Hall — and on-site medical personnel responded to the emergency and arranged transport to a Newark hospital. Officials have not yet announced an official cause of death.
ICE records show Lopez-Cornejo was first detained and removed from the United States after an unauthorised border crossing in 2006. He later returned to the country and was taken into custody by agents in Plainfield, New Jersey, in mid-June of this year. He was being held at Delaney Hall under an order reviving his earlier deportation proceedings.
A protester holds a sign outside Delaney Hall calling for action from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill after the death of Lopez-Cornejo [Ryan Murphy/Reuters]
Family members said Lopez-Cornejo is survived by a 12-year-old daughter. Advocates and relatives say he had chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure and a history of seizures, and they allege he was denied needed medication while in custody. In video posted by advocacy groups, his mother, Maria Cornejo, said she spoke with her son on Friday; he told her he was unwell and had lost feeling in his face and hand.
Community Response and Official Reactions
News of the death prompted a vigil and protests outside Delaney Hall, with demonstrators calling for improved medical care and accountability from ICE and its contractors. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka described the loss as "another painful moment for families connected to the facility." New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill urged a thorough fact-finding process and reiterated calls for considering the facility's closure.
Representative Rob Menendez said the incident reinforced concerns about conditions at Delaney Hall and called for oversight of ICE and contractor practices.
ICE has said that everyone in its custody is screened for medical issues within hours of arrival, receives a more comprehensive health evaluation within two weeks, and has 24/7 access to emergency treatment. The agency stated that Lopez-Cornejo had been properly cared for during his detention, while investigators work to determine the cause of death.
This death follows the December death of another 41-year-old detainee, Jean Wilson Brutus, at the same facility after a medical emergency. Delaney Hall reopened last year as part of an expansion of immigration detention under the previous federal administration, and the facility has since been the focus of scrutiny by advocates and elected officials.
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