Another Delaney Hall detainee hospitalized after medical emergency, DHS confirms
The detainee remained hospitalized Saturday, one week after another man from the Newark immigration detention center died.
A detainee at Newark’s Delaney Hall remained hospitalized Saturday afternoon after reporting a medical emergency on Friday, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed.
The Jersey Vindicator learned about the incident Friday from activists, who had heard rumors that the detainee had died. ICE confirmed Saturday that the man was alive and was still hospitalized.
“On August 7, a detainee at Delaney Hall claimed to be having a medical emergency,” a DHS spokesperson said in a written statement. “Medical staff responded immediately and found his vitals to be normal.”
The spokesperson said the detainee was transported to a hospital “out of an abundance of caution” and remained there Saturday afternoon. ICE said he would be returned to Delaney Hall after his release from the hospital.
ICE did not identify the detainee, disclose the nature of the reported emergency, describe what evaluation or treatment he received, or explain why he remained hospitalized the following afternoon.
Normal vital signs alone do not necessarily rule out a serious medical condition. A person experiencing a heart attack or another health emergency, for example, can initially have vital signs within normal ranges.
The agency spokesperson defended the medical care available in its detention facilities, saying it has a “longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody.”
“This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the spokesperson said.
The hospitalization occurred less than a week after Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo died Aug. 1 at University Hospital in Newark after being transported there from Delaney Hall following a medical emergency. Lopez Cornejo was the third person detained at the facility to die in less than eight months. One of the other men died at a hospital after being transported there from Delaney Hall. The deaths have prompted renewed calls from members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation for an independent investigation and the facility’s closure.
ICE concluded its response to questions from The Vindicator about the detainee with an unsolicited message encouraging immigrants to leave the United States voluntarily and warning of arrest and deportation if they remain.
“Being in detention is a choice,” the statement said. “We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App.”
The agency said the federal government is offering immigrants $2,600 and a free flight to leave the country voluntarily.
“We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream,” the statement said. “If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
Staff reporter Steve Janoski contributed to this story.
Krystal Knapp is the founder, executive director, and publisher of The Jersey Vindicator and the founder of Planet Princeton. She has more than two decades of experience reporting in New Jersey, including 10 years at The Trenton Times, where she was the newsroom’s public records and computer-assisted reporting expert. Her work has been recognized by the New Jersey Press Association and the Center for Cooperative Media. You can reach her at Krystal AT jerseyvindicator.org.