An internal Department of Homeland Security inspection of the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility has found that the facility operated by GEO Group Inc. was in compliance with 17 out of 22 standards assessed, a conclusion that contradicts some claims made in a lawsuit filed this week by New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport against the company.
The investigation conducted by six DHS Office of Professional Responsibility officers and four outside contractors assessed the facility's compliance with federal detention standards during an unclassified inspection. The report recommends that DHS Enforcement and Removal Operations in Newark continue to work with the facility to resolve remaining deficiencies in accordance with contractual obligations.
What the Right Is Saying
DHS officials rejected the attorney general's lawsuit as frivolous. In a post on X, the department stated that just days before the legal action, four representatives of the New Jersey State Health Department inspected the facility and departed after completing an inspection of the kitchen with no immediate findings cited.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin noted that agitators at the facility were well supplied and said one individual flew to New Jersey from Portland specifically to participate in the unrest. The department pointed to the OPR investigation's finding that Delaney Hall met 17 of 22 assessed standards as evidence supporting its position against the lawsuit.
What the Left Is Saying
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the lawsuit against GEO Group Inc., which has a contract with DHS to operate Delaney Hall. Her office cited reports from media outlets and Democratic members of Congress as the basis for allegations including worms found in food, lack of toilet paper provision, inadequate medical care, and a reported case of tuberculosis.
Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill faced mounting pressure from progressive activist groups over her deployment of state police during protests outside the facility. On Saturday, Sherrill posted on X that local law enforcement was present to protect agitators from ICE agents. Progressive organizations including Indivisible—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit—and Democratic Socialists of America have demanded that both Sherrill and Davenport meet demands of detained hunger strikers at Delaney Hall and stop what they called the brutalization of protesters in the name of public safety.
What the Numbers Show
The DHS Office of Professional Responsibility inspection identified five specific deficiencies at Delaney Hall: food services deficiency for ice build-up in freezers, admission and release deficiency for not fingerprinting detainees upon release, holding room facilities deficiency for not properly recording checks on hold rooms and custodial information, environmental health and safety deficiency for not properly labeling cleaning equipment on site, and suicide and self-harm prevention deficiency for not monitoring detainees for the proper amount of time. The facility was found compliant with 17 of the 22 standards assessed by inspectors.
New Jersey State Health Department representatives conducted a separate inspection of the foodservice department on May 28, completing their review without immediately publicizing findings.
The Bottom Line
The conflicting assessments from DHS's internal investigation and the New Jersey attorney general's office highlight ongoing disputes over conditions at for-profit immigration detention facilities. Governor Sherrill has faced criticism from progressive groups over her administration's response to protests that have included clashes between state police and demonstrators. Several protesters have been arrested during demonstrations, with some calling for charges against detained individuals to be dropped. A federal investigation into the matter remains active.