Federal Immigration Detention Center Controversy in Newark

Federal officials have stated their efforts focus on removing dangerous criminals, including killers and rapists, from the streets. However, data obtained by The New York Times indicates that most detainees at a Newark facility have not been convicted of crimes.

Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in New Jersey, has recently experienced persistent and sometimes violent clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters. These clashes have continued over the last two weeks.

Credit: Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Concerns first arose last month when reports revealed that immigrants detained at the Newark center were conducting a hunger strike to protest conditions. In response, demonstrators mobilized, and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill demanded entry to inspect the building.

Federal officials refused her request, asserting that she and other Democratic officials in New Jersey should be thankful that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was removing ‘the worst of the worst’ from the state. But data, including documents secured by The Times, suggests that only a minority of detainees at Delaney Hall have criminal convictions.

ICE ceased regular public reports on the number of individuals detained at its facilities in early April. Internal data obtained by The Times shows that of the 591 people held at Delaney Hall, 76, or about 13 percent, had criminal convictions. Another 123, approximately 21 percent, had pending criminal charges.

The typical detainee has spent around 80 days at the center, according to the data.

The Department of Homeland Security, responsible for overseeing ICE, claimed in a statement on Friday that it was “working rapidly and overtime to remove these aliens from detention centers to their final destination — home.”