Pallone Condemns Reports of Violent Retaliation Against Delaney Hall Detainees, Repeats Call to Shutter Facility

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Frank Pallone (6th District of New Jersey)

LONG BRANCH, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today issued the following statement after reports that detainees inside the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey were being subjected to violent retaliation by federal immigration enforcement.

“My office has received concerned calls from New Jerseyans who have reported that detainees at Delaney Hall have been beaten and pepper sprayed in retaliation for protesting the horrific conditions of this for-profit facility.

“When I visited Delaney Hall on Monday, I saw firsthand the appalling conditions law-abiding immigrants are protesting. To meet completely reasonable demands for health care and due process under the Constitution with violence is unacceptable.

“Trump’s ICE must de-escalate the situation at Delaney Hall and then shutter it permanently. We have had enough of this coordinated campaign of brutality. My colleagues and I will not rest until this facility closes its doors and our communities are made whole again.”

Pallone has made oversight visits to Delaney Hall, including a visit on May 25 where he condemned the conditions faced by detainees and called for the facility’s immediate closure. Pallone expressed deep concern over the detainees’ lack of access to food, lengthy wait times for medical care and medication, and inability to access legal representation.

Pallone’s renewed condemnation comes after reports that the New Jersey Department of Health was denied full access to the facility today for a health inspection. Governor Sherrill was also denied access to Delaney Hall for an oversight visit on Monday, May 25.

###