House panel clashes over Delaney Hall conditions amid accounts of detainee mistreatment
A House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the Delaney Hall ICE detention center highlighted sharply differing views over the treatment of detainees, with Republicans rejecting allegations of abuse and Democrats pointing to reports of inadequate medical care, poor sanitation, and deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The hearing, titled “False Narratives: Exposing the Truth About ICE Detention Facilities,” focused on conditions at Delaney Hall, an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, operated by the GEO Group under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The facility reopened in 2025 after the Trump administration expanded detention capacity to support increased immigration enforcement.
Fifty‑four people have died in ICE custody since the start of fiscal 2025, which is 125% more detainee deaths than occurred during all four previous fiscal years combined (24 deaths), according to ICE detainee death reporting data.
Republicans defend Delaney Hall
Subcommittee Chair Rep. Jefferson Van Drew, R-New Jersey, said: “We’re here today because of a narrative that has been told over and over again for weeks… that Delaney Hall, and by extension all of these detention centers, are places of cruelty. It’s just not true.”
We’re here today because of a narrative that has been told over and over again for weeks… that Delaney Hall, and by extension all of these detention centers, are places of cruelty. It’s just not true.”
Rep Jefferson Van Drew
ICE facilities are required to comply with federal detention standards governing medical care, nutrition, sanitation, recreation, religious accommodations, and access to legal counsel. Compliance is monitored through inspections and oversight conducted by ICE and other federal entities, although advocacy groups, government watchdogs, and a federal judge have questioned whether those standards are being adequately enforced.
Van Drew, who said he recently toured Delaney Hall, rejected allegations that detainees are being mistreated and said his firsthand observations contradicted criticism of the facility.
“I walked the facility. I met with the staff… and what I saw goes against all the narratives that you hear,” he said.
He described the detention center as clean and orderly, saying detainees receive “three meals a day,” access to medical, dental, and mental health care, recreation, and religious accommodations.
“The Department of Homeland Security has said plainly that ICE holds these facilities to higher standards than most American prisons, and that’s what I saw,” Van Drew said.
Democrats raise concerns over oversight and detainee care
Democrats on the panel sharply disputed that assessment, citing reports of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, poor sanitation, and deaths in ICE custody.
Ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, questioned whether Republicans had presented a complete picture of conditions at Delaney Hall, noting that the committee did not invite Department of Homeland Security or ICE officials to testify.
“The ambiguous title of today’s hearing… naturally invites the question of whether the majority is seeking to debunk false narratives or entrench false narratives,” Raskin said.
Raskin said lawmakers should hear directly from officials responsible for operating the facilities and accused the administration of obstructing congressional oversight visits. He also cited reports from detainees and advocates alleging poor medical care, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said Republicans overlooked documented concerns at privately operated detention facilities.
“In the time since our last hearing on this topic, more than 50 people have died while in ICE custody,” Crockett said, adding that detainees at facilities operated by the GEO Group have reported “dangerously substandard conditions, including mold… and insufficient food and water.”
Crockett also criticized the absence of officials from ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the GEO Group among the witnesses, arguing that “if the Republicans really wanted to know what was happening at Delaney Hall… they would push for unannounced congressional and independent oversight.”
Witnesses offer competing perspectives
The hearing included testimony from former ICE New York Field Office Deputy Director Scott Mechkowski, Federation for American Immigration Reform Border Security Adviser Art Del Cueto, Center for Immigration Studies Resident Fellow in Law and Policy Andrew Arthur, and Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey.
Arthur, a former immigration judge, said he had not personally visited Delaney Hall but argued that ICE detention facilities operate under extensive oversight, including inspections, congressional review, internal watchdogs, and contractual detention standards. He said congressional oversight is appropriate but should be conducted in ways that do not interfere with facility operations or security.
Del Cueto, a former Border Patrol agent, said Delaney Hall had become a target because detention “works.” He said allegations against the facility were part of “a broader assault on immigration enforcement” and urged Congress to support ICE officers and Border Patrol agents.
Del Cueto also cited DHS statistics that he said showed increases in assaults and threats against ICE personnel during President Donald Trump’s second term, attributing the trend to increasingly inflammatory rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement.
Sinha countered that concerns about Delaney Hall were supported by accounts from detainees and their families. He testified that people held at the facility had described delayed medical treatment, inadequate food, unsanitary conditions, and retaliation after participating in hunger strikes. Sinha called for “independent, unannounced, uncensored oversight” of ICE detention facilities and urged Congress to allow broader access for lawmakers, the press, and advocacy organizations.
Rep. Henry “Hank” Johnson, D-Georgia, said not a single witness denied the claims of what is happening at Delaney Hall. “Not a single witness in here has testified that itʼs false,” Johnson said. “That whatʼs happening at Delaney Hall, the overcrowded cells crammed with inmates. Not a single Republican witness refuted that.”
