Senator Andy Kim’s Oversight Visit Highlights Restricted Access at ICE’s Delaney Hall

Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey, is operated by GEO Group. Since mid-May detainees have staged a hunger and labor strike, and families and volunteers have held protests outside. Attempts by New Jersey officials—Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Mayor Ras Baraka, and Governor Mikie Sherrill—to conduct unannounced oversight visits were denied.

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Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) led the oversight tour. GEO Group manages the jail for ICE. A volunteer “radical hospitality” tent supplies water, grocery cards and diapers to families outside the gate. Families have sought contact.

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About 600 detainees occupy the 1,000-bed facility, which has only one full-time physician for hundreds. On the day of Kim’s visit, family visitation was cancelled, affecting women and children. The hospitality tent distributes water, grocery cards and often receives diaper requests.

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Sen. Kim reported distress among detainees and was barred from speaking with them; guards warned any conversation would end the tour. When he asked about restricted video calls and a hospitalized detainee, guards replied, “We’ll get back to you.” GEO Group and ICE declined comment.

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Families say repeated visitation cancellations limit contact with loved ones. Volunteers describe the single physician as inadequate for detainee health needs. The hospitality tent, rebuilt after an alleged ICE ransacking, saw low attendance on the day visits were cancelled. Protesters continue demonstrations, citing reports of poor food and abusive guard conduct.

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The facility’s capacity (1,000 beds) exceeds the current detainee count (?600), but no explanation is offered. GEO Group and ICE have not responded to comment requests, leaving verification of conditions described by the senator and volunteers incomplete.

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The visit underscores challenges in overseeing privately run detention centers, especially regarding detainee health care and transparency. The inability of elected officials to obtain information raises questions about accountability for funds used for immigration detention.

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Sen. Kim said he will pursue further inquiries, including FOIA requests, to locate the hospitalized detainee and clarify policies. Volunteers plan to keep the hospitality tent operating, and protests are expected to continue while the strike persists.

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• “They refused to let me talk to any detainees,” — Sen. Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (New Jersey)

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• “They told me that if I were to speak to any detainees, the oversight tour would immediately be cut off and stopped.” — Sen. Andy Kim

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• “Can you imagine if your loved one was in a hospital and you don’t know what hospital they’re in, and then you’re told to just file some bureaucratic papers, and cross your fingers that they’re going to get back to you?” — Sen. Andy Kim

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• “This is our money going to detain these people, and we’re not getting any answers,” — Sen. Andy Kim

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