## Introduction
The Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey has been at the center of much controversy since it opened in 2011. Operated by the private prison corporation CoreCivic, the immigrant detention center has faced allegations of poor conditions, inadequate healthcare, abuse from guards, and prolonged detention of immigrants who pose no threat to public safety.
With an average daily population of 315 detainees out of a capacity of 1016, Delaney Hall holds immigrant men and women from countries around the world, including asylum seekers looking for refuge in the United States. While Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) touts these facilities as "low security", immigrant advocates argue they are essentially prisons where detainees have extremely limited rights and freedoms.
This article will take an in-depth look at how Delaney Hall operates, the living conditions inside its locked doors, alarming medical care issues, abuse allegations, and alternatives to immigrant detention that many argue would be more cost-effective and humane.
## Facility Operations
The Delaney Hall Detention Facility first opened in August 2011 under an agreement between ICE and Essex County, New Jersey. The county then subcontracted operations to CoreCivic, one of the largest for-profit prison companies in the United States. CoreCivic runs the day-to-day operations of the facility, including security, detainee management, medical services, and food services.
With six dormitory-style housing units, the 118,880 square foot facility was designed to hold just over 1000 immigrant detainees. 450 of its beds are dedicated specifically to Level I adult male and female detainees, meaning those classified as low security risks by ICE.
The average length of stay for an ICE detainee at Delaney Hall is 50 days, according to the facility's website. However, many immigrants remain detained for months or even years as they await immigration hearings and final deportation orders. Some detainees have legal representation, but many do not. Lack of legal counsel often contributes to prolonged detention.
The detainees at Delaney Hall come from countries all over the world, spanning continents like South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. While precise demographic information is not publicly available, the majority of detainees appear to be men from Mexico and Central America. ICE reported the five most common countries of origin for detainees at Delaney Hall in 2020 were Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, and El Salvador.
## Living Conditions
Immigration detention centers like Delaney Hall operate much like jails or prisons, with locked doors, strict schedules, and uniformed detainees. Many detainees as well as advocates have complained about the prison-like conditions and lack of freedoms afforded to them.
Detainees at Delaney Hall live communally in dormitory-style housing units with bunk beds lined up in rows. There is almost no privacy. The facility has been described as overcrowded, with unsanitary and worn down conditions in the living areas. Small windows provide limited access to fresh air and natural light.
The food served in the cafeteria receives frequent complaints for being unappetizing and repetitive. Detainees report being served the same bland meals over and over again, seemingly to minimize costs. Portion sizes are sometimes inadequate, leaving people hungry. Access to outdoor recreation is limited to 1-2 hours per day in a caged-in parking lot. There are few educational opportunities or classes offered to combat the boredom of confinement.
Punitive policies like solitary confinement are used frequently at Delaney Hall to manage unruly behavior, even though health experts regard the practice as psychologically damaging. Detainees report being locked in isolation for minor offenses like not making their beds or talking too loudly.
## Medical Care Issues
Substandard medical treatment is a major concern advocates have raised about facilities like Delaney Hall. Accounts from detainees along with lawsuits allege there are not nearly enough doctors and nurses to tend to the needs of 1000+ detainees. Requests for medical care often go ignored for days or weeks, causing treatable conditions to severely worsen.
The long waits to be seen by medical staff have proved fatal in some cases. A report by Human Rights Watch analyzed 15 immigrant deaths in detention between December 2015 and April 2017 which pointed to inadequate medical care as a contributing factor.
Mental healthcare in particular is seen as woefully lacking in these detention centers. There are reports of guards dismissing clear mental health episodes and throwing distraught detainees into solitary confinement instead of providing proper treatment. The solitary confinement then exacerbates the mental health crises, sometimes with deadly consequences.
Chronic health conditions also tend go untreated. Detainees report sudden lapses in critical medications like insulin or blood pressure medication when transferred between different detention facilities. For some, these lapses can quickly become life-threatening.
## Abuse Allegations
Along with criticism of the living conditions and medical care, Delaney Hall guards have been accused of various forms of misconduct and abuse. Detainees report being subjected to physical assault, verbal threats, and sexual abuse from facility staff.
Excessive use of force is one major complaint lodged against guards. There have been instances of officers deploying pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets, and physically assaulting detainees, even in cases where the detainee posed no threat. Some guards are said to routinely use racial slurs, insults, and threats to intimidate those in custody.
Sexual abuse presents another grave human rights concern, with guards allegedly groping detainees during searches and engaging in other inappropriate sexual behavior. When formal complaints are made against guards, detainees say there is very little follow-up or accountability for the accused. The power dynamic inside facilities like Delaney Hall fosters an environment where abuse can flourish unchecked.
## Alternatives to Detention
In light of the woeful conditions and rampant rights violations inside facilities like Delaney Hall, immigration advocates argue long-term detention should be an absolute last resort rather than default policy. There are less restrictive programs that allow immigrants to live at home as their cases progress rather than jailing them at taxpayer expense.
Alternatives to detention like ankle monitors, routine check-ins, and supervised release into the custody of a community group allow immigrants to continue working and living with their families. These programs cost a fraction of what it costs to detain someone - about $5/day compared to $130/day for detention.
Moving away from mass detention would also help relieve dangerous overcrowding. The government could reserve space in detention centers for those who truly pose a public threat rather than sweeping all immigrants into the prison system.
While no system is perfect, providing alternatives to detention as a first choice rather than after-thought would represent a more humane, cost-effective approach to managing immigrant arrivals as they await their time in court.
## Conclusion
In examining the operations of Delaney Hall Detention Facility, it becomes clear major reforms are needed to fix glaring human rights concerns. Substandard medical care, abusive conditions, and prolonged detention continue to endanger lives. Immigrants awaiting their time in court should not be relegated to detention centers that are prisons in all but name.
Policymakers must re-examine the United States’ reliance on immigrant detention and make ethical reforms that uphold basic dignity. Only by shifting to a system that treats all people humanely can we live up to the ideals enshrined at our founding: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
## Frequently Asked Questions
**What are the living conditions like at Delaney Hall?**
The living conditions at Delaney Hall are very restrictive and prison-like. Detainees live in crowded dorms with bunk beds, limited privacy, and strict rules and schedules. There are frequent complaints about unsanitary facilities, bland food, lack of recreation time outdoors, and extreme boredom.
**Is medical care adequate at the detention center?**
No, there have been many complaints alleging inadequate medical care at Delaney Hall. With too few medical staff for the detainee population, long waits to be seen are common. Mental healthcare is severely lacking. Several detainees have died after receiving poor treatment for their conditions.
**How long do immigrants stay detained at Delaney Hall?**
The average detention stay is 50 days, but many immigrants remain detained for months or even years as they await the outcome of their immigration cases. Prolonged detention is common at Delaney Hall.
**What kind of abuses have guards been accused of?**
Guards have been accused of physical assault, verbal threats, sexual abuse, excessive use of force against detainees, and overuse of solitary confinement. There are reports of dehumanizing language and lack of accountability for guard misconduct at the facility.
**What are some alternatives to detention for immigrants?**
Alternatives like electronic ankle monitors, routine check-ins, and supervised released allow immigrants to live in their communities rather than being detained as their case proceeds. These programs cost far less than detention and have proven effective.
Phone: 973-491-6042
Physical Address:
Delaney Hall Detention Facility
45 Dormus Avenue
Newark, NJ 07105
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's Full Name & A-Number
Delaney Hall Detention Facility
Delaney Hall Detention Facility (DHDF) 45` Dormus Avenue
Newark, NJ 07105
Other Jails and Prisons
When someone that is not a US Citizen gets arrested in the United States, and they are here illegally, depending on what state or city they are arrested in, the person may be turned over to ICE.
Many states such as New York and California, as well as hundreds of US cities, have declared themselves 'sanctuary cities' and do not turn over foreigners here illegally, even if they are committing crimes in their jurisdiction.
However, when an alien here illegally is turned over to ICE, and sent to one of the over 100 Immigration Detention Centers in the United States, the only way to try and locate where they are being detained is using the Online Detainee Locator System.
You can look them up using their assigned A-Number.
You can also try and look them up by using their name.
What is an ICE Detention Center?
Men, women, and children that are in the United States illegally and are apprehended by the US Border Patrol or ICE will most likely be placed in removal proceedings and may be detained in one of the more than 200 jails and detention centers that make up ICE’s detention system.
Many of the illegal immigrants that are detained are held in county and local jails that contract with ICE to detain immigrants. The rest are held in dedicated immigration detention facilities run by ICE or contracted to private prison corporations, including family detention centers that hold mothers and children.
What Determines if an Illegal Immigrant gets Detained?
ICE will typically detain an immigrant because DHS (Homeland Security) believes that an illegal immigrant is either a “flight risk” and may move to another location within the U.S. or that they pose a public safety threat. Detaining the person allows the government to guarantee that the person will show up for their hearing before an Immigration Court.
Some of the reasons that causes an illegal immigrant to get arrested and held in detention prior to their day in court is as follows:
The illegal immigrant has:
How do you find someone that is in an ICE Detention Center?
The first step to finding out if an illegal immigrant is in ICE or DHS custody is by using the ICE Detainee Locator.
It’s easier to find the person if you have an Alien Number (A#), if one exists. A green card or work permit will show this number. If you don’t have an A# the person is much more difficult to locate.
The information you will need is as follows:
If you are having difficulty, try different spellings and the order of how the name is listed.
If the illegal immigrant was only recently detained, the ICE Detainee Locator may not be updated with the latest information. Keep in mind that ICE does not give information (online or over the phone) for people under 18 years of age. In such cases, you can only get information on them from the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office nearest you.
If the person you are looking for is not in an ICE Detention Center, they may have been taken to a local jail that contracts with ICE, so contact their local City and County Jail, all which can be found here.
Another option, short of the expense of hiring an Immigration Lawyer, is to go to this website and use their online form to get their help.
Once an illegal immigrant is located and you find out the facility where they are being held you need to find out the Deportation Officer that has been assigned to their case. The Officer can tell you how to call or visit the detainee, or pay for the detainee to be able to call you, or how you can send any needed items such as clothing, prescriptions, etc.
The last option, and the most expensive, is to hire an experienced immigration attorney to assist you in tracking down the Deportation Officer. If the person being detained requires specific medical care, an attorney can ensure that they receive that care.
If the detained illegal immigrant has been deported from America previously or has an outstanding removal order - in which case they have no right to see an immigration judge - they can be removed within a few days, or even hours, of the initial arrest.
Even if the government does not immediately remove the person, it is possible that they can be moved around to different Detention Centers. There is never a warning that a person is being moved around and during the transfer there is a complete blackout of any information.
How long are people held in ICE Immigration Detention Centers?
The time that an illegal immigrant is held in an ICE Detention Center can vary. It all depends on several factors such as the individual’s personal situation, criminal record, the severity of the crime they are being charged with, previous deportations and the current caseload that the Detention Center is dealing with.
This image portrays the most recent data available on the time a detained illegal immigrant remains in custody before their release and/or deportation.
Can you visit someone in ICE Detention Centers?
The short answer is yes. The person visiting an illegal immigrant in an ICE Detention Center must be lawfully present in the United States. In other words the visitor must have some form of currently valid immigration status at the time of the visit. A detention center or jail will not allow the visit unless visitor can show valid I.D. and offer proof that they are lawfully in the United States.
If you want to become a volunteer that visits illegal immigrants in order to offer emotional support, it may be possible. You can join one of these visitation networks by going here and contacting the network in your area.
What crimes can cause an illegal immigrant to be deported?
(The following information comes from Nolo.com, a trusted legal resource)
These are the straightforward crimes that are mentioned in the immigration law. The statute also lists a number of security violations, such as involvement in espionage, sabotage, terrorism, Nazi persecution, totalitarian parties, and so forth.
Once an illegal immigrant is deported, how long before they can come back to the United States?
If an illegal immigrant has a deportation or removal order in their immigration file, it's possible that they won’t be allowed to enter the U.S. for five, ten, or even 20 years.
The applicable law comes from Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.).
Five-Year Ban: If they were summarily removed or deported upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry because they were found inadmissible, or if they came to the U.S. but were immediately put into removal proceedings and then removed or deported, they may be ineligible to return to the U.S. for five years. The five-year ban also applies if they failed to show up for their removal hearing in the United States.
Ten-Year Ban: If a ‘removal order’ was issued at the conclusion of their removal hearing in Immigration Court, they may not be able to return for ten years after their removal or departure.
Twenty-Year Ban: If they were convicted of an aggravated felony or have received more than one order of removal, they are barred from returning to the U.S. for 20 years. And if they entered without permission after having been removed, or illegally reentered the U.S. after having previously been in the U.S. unlawfully for more than one year, they may be barred from entering the United States for 20 years or permanently.
This facility, known as "Delaney Hall Detention Facility" is also known as ICE Detention Facility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
