Visitors Languish In Scorching Summer Heat Outside ICE Prison In NJ, Advocates Say

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — People trying to visit their family members at a federal immigration detention facility in New Jersey have been kept waiting outside for hours in the midst of a series of brutal heat waves, advocates say.

About three months ago, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started housing detainees at Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed privately owned prison in Newark. It is run by the GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the nation.

The jail is the first new federal immigration detention facility launched under President Donald Trump’s second term.

Delaney Hall has seen a wave of controversy since then, including several arrests involving pro-immigration demonstrators, federal charges against the city’s mayor and a U.S. congresswoman, and a high-profile prison escape.

Some inmates and their family members have been complaining about allegedly subpar conditions at the jail – allegations that the GEO Group has denied.

“We remain dedicated to providing high-quality services to those in our care, including include around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs,” a company spokesperson previously told Patch.

Visitors to Delaney Hall are telling a different story, however, alleging that they have been forced to wait outside on a shadeless sidewalk amid scorching temperatures in one of the state’s worst “urban heat islands.”

According to a recent report from Documented, visitation procedures at Delaney Hall have constantly changed, causing chaos and confusion. Some people have been kept waiting anywhere from seven to 12 hours, activists allege.

“Having people stand out here for hours on end in this hot, burning sun – including the little children – is inhumane,” one person told Documented. Read the full article here.

Local advocacy groups say they have been helping visitors cope with the blistering heat by giving them umbrellas, water and shade. Activists have also set up a play area for children, have been handing out grocery gift cards to families without a breadwinner, and are providing shoes and clothes if visitors can’t meet the prison’s dress code.

Meanwhile, protesters continue to hold vigils outside of Delaney Hall.

“I wish I could tell you that things were somehow getting better, but unfortunately, we cannot,” Pax Christi New Jersey reported on Aug. 1.

“People are still forced to wait in the hot sun for many hours,” the advocacy group claimed. “Visitors show up sometimes six or seven hours early to make sure that they get one of the 15 slots for visitation. There are only 15 slots for a unit with between 150 to 200 people.”

“The guards have been refusing to answer questions about visiting hours,” the group continued. “The phone number at the facility that family members are directed to call for information just rings and rings with no opportunity to even leave a message.”

Another group that has been taking part in the demonstrations, First Friends of NJ & NY, reported that access to the prison remains “arbitrary.”

“In the face of cruelty, our community has shown up for every single mother, father, sister, brother, friend who comes to see someone inside,” First Friends of NJ & NY wrote earlier this week. “They bring food, cold water, shade, umbrellas, clothes, and kindness – meeting people with dignity when the system offers only dehumanization.”

“Whether you see your loved one depends on nothing but the whims of this cruel, broken system,” the group alleged. “It’s designed to exhaust, humiliate and harm.”

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A clergy member who recently visited the prison to show support for the families said that what she experienced was “heartbreaking,” alleging that some visitors have also been getting parking tickets and having their vehicles towed.

The good news? The community is coming together to support its own, she wrote in a recent blog post:

“A group of folks organized in mutual aid swiftly organized to help the visitors get their cars out of the impound lot. Others are strategizing how to work with elected officials on a long-term parking solution. Many folks spent time outside Delaney Hall today in solidarity and support of the visitors, providing umbrellas and tents to protect them from the sun while they waited hours outside the gate. Offering coffee and donuts and water. Creating a play area for the children. Making and holding up signs as public witness to say that profiting off of human misery is immoral, that no human being is illegal, and that we are called to love our neighbors. Some of the visitors even brought toys and snacks themselves to share with others. Community at its organic best.”

“Goodness, in other words, was present even amidst the inhumanity,” she concluded. “Love is always stronger than hate.”

• See Related: Pro-Immigrant Protests Continue Outside ICE Detention Center In Newark

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