Newark Mayor Fights to Block Migrant Detention Center Reopening

Controversy Over Delaney Hall Reopening

• 📌 Delaney Hall, previously a halfway house, has been reactivated as an immigration detention center, sparking significant outrage and lawsuits.
• 🚫 City officials, including Mayor Ras Baraka, are attempting to block the reopening, citing a lack of transparency and required permits.

Lack of Transparency and City Opposition

• 🔍 Residents and city officials report being locked out of information regarding the number of detainees and operations within the facility.
• 🏛️ The city of Newark has sued the GEO Group, the private prison operator, for allegedly operating without a certificate of occupancy and refusing inspections.

ICE and GEO Group's Stance

• ✈️ ICE stated that the facility's location near Newark airport streamlines logistics for processing individuals in their custody.
• 🗣️ GEO Group claims to have valid permits and characterizes the opposition as a "politicized campaign" by "sanctuary city and open borders politicians."

Community and Advocate Response

• 📢 Immigrant rights advocates are protesting the center, calling its reopening "dangerous and illegal."
• 💔 Visitors have expressed distress, with one visitor mentioning their brother is detained and another sharing a story of a wife picked up at an immigration appointment and subsequently detained.

Contract and Political Context

• ✍️ The GEO Group has reportedly signed a 15-year contract to operate the facility.
• 🗳️ Mayor Baraka, who is also running for governor, states his opposition is about protecting Newark residents, not politics.