New Jersey Health Commissioner Raynard Washington sued GEO Group, alleging the company barred state inspectors from key areas of the Delaney Hall ICE detention center, allowing access only to the food services area. The dispute comes amid broader protests over
When New Jersey’s health team tried to step inside Delaney Hall in late May, they expected to check the kind of basics that prevent illness—where people sleep, how medical care is delivered, and whether sanitation standards are being met.
Instead, they say they were taken only to the facility’s food services area.
On June 2. State Health Commissioner Raynard Washington filed an 18-page lawsuit in state Superior Court against GEO Group. the company that owns and operates the privately run U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark. Washington said state officials were blocked from access to critical areas after complaints raised concerns about crowding. poor ventilation. lack of medical care. unsanitary bathrooms. and other conditions at Delaney Hall. The suit centers on what it describes as limited inspection access—not just the allegations around health and safety.
The facility. Delaney Hall. has been a flashpoint in New Jersey as debate intensifies over President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to sharply increase immigration enforcement nationwide. Protests have grown outside the center, and late May saw reports of a labor and hunger strike over conditions. Large demonstrations then spilled into clashes with police in recent days.
Washington said he sent in the state team after the concerns surfaced. He wrote in a statement that “Any facility housing people in New Jersey must meet basic standards under the law to prevent the spread of disease. keep food and water safe. and minimize health risks. ” adding that “That includes Delaney Hall.”.
In the lawsuit, Washington’s office said inspectors were not allowed to observe conditions in the medical unit, bathrooms, showers, or sleeping areas. The complaint also alleges inspectors were barred from viewing the facility’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
The state’s case points to the most narrow window of access Washington says it received. It says that when inspectors attempted to inspect the center on May 28, they were restricted to the food services area.
The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, rejected the lawsuit’s premise. In a statement, DHS called the case “frivolous.” It said ICE is committed to transparency and that Delaney Hall complies with all required state and local laws.
DHS also disputed the framing of how inspections work. It said four state health department officials entered the facility at about 11 a.m. on May 28 and inspected the food-service department, including the kitchen. DHS said the officials left at 12:30 p.m. The agency added it would continue to “grant state and local inspectors’ access to the facility where appropriate.”.
DHS further said ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies. It said all detainees receive proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.
The lawsuit counters that the state health department routinely inspects medical facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes that it licenses. It also says the agency is able to inspect other facilities, including a “public or private place of detention.”
GEO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Department of Justice, which represents the federal government, declined to comment on the litigation.
A legal fight like this has a simple question at its core: whether state health inspectors can verify conditions in the places where illness risk is most immediate—sleeping quarters, bathrooms and showers, and medical care.
New Jersey’s politics have made that question harder to ignore. Governor Mikie Sherrill. a Democrat. said if GEO Group had “nothing to hide” and conditions were as safe and sanitary as the company and the Trump administration say. then there would be no reason to restrict state inspectors from full access.
“The people of New Jersey deserve transparency and accountability,” Sherrill said in a statement. She added that she would use her office’s full powers to advocate for detainees and their families. Sherrill, like other New Jersey Democrats, has called for Delaney Hall’s closure.
As protests continue outside the facility and accusations persist about the conditions detainees face, Washington’s lawsuit keeps the fight tightly focused on access—what inspectors can see, what they can’t, and what that means for health standards in a place built to hold more than 1,000 people.
GEO Group Delaney Hall ICE detention center New Jersey Raynard Washington Mikie Sherrill immigration enforcement DHS healthcare inspections lawsuit protests
So they only let them see the food area?? That’s shady.
This sounds like they’re hiding something, like of course they would. I don’t even care about the politics part, if there’s no access then what are they trying to prove? Also Newark gonna Newark I guess.
Wait… the health commissioner sued GEO because they wouldn’t show the ‘key areas’? But GEO is private, right, so shouldn’t the federal ICE people control access? Idk how this works, but it feels like everyone blaming everyone. Crowdings and bad ventilation, sure, but I bet the real issue is immigration enforcement as usual.
As if this won’t get buried in court for years. They say they were blocked except food services, like ok cool so they can eat but they can’t check where people sleep? That’s backwards. I keep hearing about Delaney Hall on the news and now protests and police clashes too, so it’s probably way worse than they’re admitting. GEO should be forced to let inspectors in everywhere, not just the snack spot.