The attorney general of New Jersey on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the private company operating the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, demanding access for health officials amid allegations of “inhumane and unsanitary conditions”. Immigrants locked up at the federal detention center in Newark began a hunger and labor strike more than 10 days ago to protest against conditions, while demonstrations built up outside that veered into violent scenes after dark. Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed by Jennifer Davenport, the state’s attorney general, asks the state superior court in Newark to order the private operator, the Geo Group, to grant the New Jersey department of health full access to the facility to conduct inspections. New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, and other elected officials went to Delaney Hall over the Memorial Day holiday weekend after the hunger strike started but a statement from Davenport’s office on Tuesday said: “GEO Group refused to respond to demands by the governor, elected officials, and protesters for full transparency into conditions at Delaney Hall.”
Published: June 2, 2026 5:41 pm
Source: The Guardian — Read original