Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is moving forward with plans to reopen Delaney Hall in Newark, a 1,000-bed detention facility that will serve as the East Coast’s largest immigration processing center. The move aligns with the Trump administration’s intensified focus on detaining and deporting illegal immigrants.
ICE acting director Caleb Vitello pointed to the facility’s location as a key benefit, explaining that its proximity to an international airport will allow for more efficient processing of detainees. Delaney Hall, which is privately owned by GEO Group, previously operated as an ICE detention center from 2011 to 2017.
ICE expands detention capacity by 1,000 beds in northeast as Delaney Hall Facility reopens in Newark, N.J. Details at https://t.co/Dn6sw1kx8H
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) February 27, 2025
GEO Group secured a long-term contract worth $900 million to manage the facility. The company had been seeking to reopen Delaney Hall but faced resistance due to a New Jersey law banning new immigration detention centers. After a successful legal challenge, a federal court ruled that the law did not apply to private facilities, clearing the way for the agreement.
— Ugly Chump (@JamesWolverton6) February 28, 2025
The decision has drawn criticism from New Jersey lawmakers. Rep. LaMonica McIver accused ICE of disregarding the will of Newark residents, while Rep. Rob Menendez said expanding detention centers would not contribute to public safety.
Advocacy groups have also spoken out. Make the Road New Jersey warned that the reopening would embolden ICE’s enforcement policies, while the ACLU of New Jersey called it a “massive expansion” of immigration detention in the state.
New Jersey currently operates only one active ICE facility in Elizabeth, which has a capacity of 270. The addition of Delaney Hall will make Newark the new center of immigration detention on the East Coast, surpassing Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
