DHS confirms nearly 120 detainees moved from Delaney Hall, 3 hospitalized

The large movement of detainees and unexplained hospitalizations came as Delaney Hall grappled with a prolonged air conditioning failure.

Approximately 120 detainees were bused out of Newark’s Delaney Hall for transfers and removals over the Fourth of July weekend, while three others were hospitalized for unexplained medical concerns as a prolonged air conditioning failure left people inside the immigration detention center sweltering.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the large-scale movement of the detainees to The Jersey Vindicator this week, but did not say where they were taken or how many were transferred to other facilities versus removed from the country.

Transfers between ICE detention centers are common as the agency moves detainees through its nationwide network of facilities. ICE also moves people to staging facilities ahead of scheduled removals from the United States.

The movement comes as ICE’s detention system has rapidly expanded under the Trump administration. The agency’s average daily detained population increased 71% between January 2025 and April 2026, from about 39,000 people to more than 67,000, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Activists shared videos with The Vindicator of three ambulances leaving the facility on July 5 and three buses packed with detainees being taken away. Some detainees could be seen pounding on the windows.

The spokesman for DHS said three detainees were taken to the hospital on July 5 for “various medical concerns,” but refused to elaborate. The spokesman did not say whether the hospitalizations were related to the excessive heat that gripped the region for much of last week or the failure of the air conditioning in one Delaney Hall housing unit during the worst of it.

“All three are being treated and will return to the facility once discharged,” the spokesman wrote in an email. “All buses were used for transfers and removals.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees the facility, has said for nearly a week that repairs to the broken air conditioning system are underway. But the work had not been completed as of Saturday.

U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez said Friday that he was told detainees in Unit 4 of Delaney Hall had been moved to another unit because of the air conditioning problem. He said about 800 people are now being held at Delaney Hall, an increase from recent weeks.

Officials for the agency previously said they had added portable air conditioning units and increased access to ice water for detainees in the affected housing unit.

But activists disputed that account, saying neither ICE nor GEO Group, the private prison company that operates the 1,000-bed facility, had provided new air conditioning units or ice water. Some detainees had received fans, they said, but those offered little relief because they were simply moving hot air around the unit.

GEO Group declined to comment and referred questions to ICE, which has denied allegations of negligence or poor conditions at the facility.

“Any claim that there are subprime conditions at ICE facilities are FALSE,” the DHS spokesperson wrote in an email to The Vindicator.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the statement continued. “Make no mistake, these types of lies are contributing to the over 1,300% increase in assaults on the men and women of ICE who put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.”

Detainees and their families have repeatedly described poor conditions inside Delaney Hall since the Trump administration reopened the facility amid its sweeping immigration crackdown.

Unrest broke out at the detention center in June 2025 amid allegations of foul water, inedible food, erratic meal times, and inconsistent medical care.

In May of this year, about 300 detainees launched a hunger and labor strike to draw attention to conditions inside the facility. The strike was followed by protests outside Delaney Hall and allegations that detainees faced retaliation for participating.

The streets outside the detention center have quieted since then, but activists said conditions inside have not improved, and the scorching summer heat has only made them worse.

Last week’s broiling temperatures left some detainees sleeping naked and struggling to breathe, according to Sally Pillay, an advocate with Eyes on ICE.

“There’s no ventilation or circulation,” Pillay said. “It’s extremely hot, and it’s humid … it’s unbearable.”

DHS dismissed the health concerns in its Tuesday email to The Vindicator, saying ICE provides “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. “This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives.”