TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey officials have launched a new legal challenge against the operator of Newark’s Delaney Hall detention facility, filing a lawsuit that critics are likely to view as another front in the state’s ongoing battle against federal immigration enforcement.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Monday that the state is suing The GEO Group, the private company that manages Delaney Hall under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seeking a court order that would compel the company to grant state health inspectors unrestricted access to the facility.
The lawsuit follows weeks of mounting political pressure from Governor Mikie Sherrill, Democratic lawmakers, and immigration activists who have accused the facility of maintaining unsafe and unsanitary conditions. State officials point to allegations from detainees and advocacy groups involving food quality, medical care, hygiene supplies, and disease prevention.
Notably, the state’s case relies heavily on unverified claims from detainees, relatives, and activist organizations, even as federal officials and facility operators have disputed allegations that conditions are inadequate. The lawsuit was filed despite state inspectors already having been allowed into the facility for a limited inspection last week.
State officials argue that inspectors were improperly denied access to key portions of the building, including medical, housing, and restroom areas. They contend New Jersey law grants the Department of Health broad authority to inspect detention facilities when potential health violations are suspected.
“GEO Group must allow our state’s health inspectors to conduct a full inspection of Delaney Hall,” Davenport said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “The reports of unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside Delaney Hall are extremely concerning, and GEO Group—like any other business and facility in New Jersey—must follow the law.”
Supporters of the detention center question whether the lawsuit is truly about public health or whether it reflects broader opposition among New Jersey Democrats to immigration detention itself. Delaney Hall has become a political flashpoint since reopening as an ICE detention facility, drawing repeated protests from activists who oppose federal immigration enforcement policies.
The administration has highlighted reports of a detainee hospitalized with tuberculosis and complaints that illnesses may be spreading inside the facility. Other allegations include claims of spoiled food, inadequate medical treatment, and limited access to hygiene products. Those allegations have not been independently verified through a comprehensive state inspection.
Governor Sherrill argued that GEO should have no objection to a full inspection if conditions inside the facility meet legal standards. GEO has not publicly responded to the latest lawsuit.
The case now heads to Superior Court, where a judge will determine whether New Jersey can compel broader access to a facility operating under a federal immigration contract. Regardless of the outcome, the lawsuit appears certain to deepen an already contentious political struggle over immigration enforcement in New Jersey, with Delaney Hall serving as the latest battleground.
