Salvadoran man dies in ICE custody at New Jersey detention centre
A 41-year-old Salvadoran man died at Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey after a medical emergency, marking the second death at the facility in eight months. Immigration advocates claim he was denied medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and seizures, while ICE states detainees receive proper medical screening and care.
Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a Salvadoran national, died on Saturday at a Newark hospital following a medical emergency at the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the death on Monday. The facility is operated by GEO Group, a private contractor, whose staff and medical personnel responded to the emergency and arranged his transport to hospital. The official cause of death has not yet been determined.
Lopez-Cornejo had been detained in mid-June after agents apprehended him in Plainfield, New Jersey, following an unauthorized border crossing. His detention was based on a revived deportation order stemming from a 2006 unauthorized entry. According to immigration advocates, Lopez-Cornejo suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure, and seizures but was denied access to his medications while in custody. His mother reported speaking with him on Friday, when he indicated he was unwell and experiencing numbness in his face and hand.
ICE maintains that all detainees undergo medical screening within hours of arrival and receive comprehensive health evaluations within two weeks, with round-the-clock emergency care available. The agency stated Lopez-Cornejo received appropriate care throughout his detention. However, this death represents the second fatality at Delaney Hall in less than a year, following the December death of Jean Wilson Brutus, also 41.
The death prompted immediate responses from local and state officials. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka expressed concern about families losing loved ones in custody at the facility. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill called for the facility's closure and announced efforts to gather facts surrounding the death. Representative Rob Menendez highlighted ongoing concerns about medical conditions and inadequate care at Delaney Hall, emphasizing the need for accountability from ICE and its contractors. Delaney Hall reopened last year as part of expanded immigration detention operations.
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