The Trump administration is ramping up its immigration enforcement efforts with the reopening of Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed detention center in Newark. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the facility will serve as a major hub for processing illegal immigrants on the East Coast.
ICE acting director Caleb Vitello highlighted the location’s logistical advantages, stating that its proximity to an international airport will streamline transportation and deportation procedures. Delaney Hall, owned by private prison company GEO Group, was previously used to house detainees between 2011 and 2017.
ICE expands detention capacity by 1,000 beds in northeast as Delaney Hall Facility reopens in Newark, N.J. Details at https://t.co/Dn6sw1kx8H
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) February 27, 2025
GEO Group secured a 15-year, $900 million contract to operate the facility, with plans to have it fully operational by summer. The company had sought to reopen Delaney Hall for years but was initially blocked by a New Jersey law banning new ICE detention centers. A federal judge later ruled that the law did not apply to private facilities, allowing the contract to move forward.
— Ugly Chump (@JamesWolverton6) February 28, 2025
The reopening has sparked backlash from New Jersey Democrats, including Rep. LaMonica McIver, who argued that private detention centers lack accountability and contribute to poor conditions for detainees. Rep. Rob Menendez also denounced the decision, calling it “a step backward” in immigration policy.
Advocacy groups have also condemned the move. The ACLU of New Jersey warned that the new contract would create fear in immigrant communities, while Make the Road New Jersey accused the administration of using detention centers to push mass deportations.
Currently, New Jersey has one active ICE detention center in Elizabeth, which holds 270 detainees. The reopening of Delaney Hall will make it the largest facility of its kind on the East Coast, surpassing Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
