Salvadoran man dies in ICE custody at New Jersey detention centre

Second Delaney Hall detainee death in eight months prompts calls to close facility, demands for answers. A Salvadoran man detained at a New Jersey immigration facility has died, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed, in the second such death at the facility in less than a year. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, died on Saturday at a Newark hospital after experiencing a medical emergency at the Delaney Hall detention facility, ICE said in a statement on Monday. According to the agency, staff from GEO Group – the private contractor that runs the facility – along with medical personnel, responded and arranged for him to be taken to hospital. Officials have not yet determined an official cause of death.

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Scoop News DeskNew Jersey · Published Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 3:14 AM UTCUpdated Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 3:37 AM UTC

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ICE maintains that everyone in its custody is screened for medical issues within hours of arrival, undergoes a fuller health check within two weeks, and has round-the-clock access to emergency treatment. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also condemned the death, saying it was “another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed” and that her administration was working with the state’s congressional delegation “to gather all the facts surrounding this death”.