Immigration and Customs Enforcement is set to reopen Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, as the largest immigration detention center on the East Coast.
The 1,000-bed facility will be the first to open under the Trump administration, which has prioritized immigration enforcement.
“The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain, and remove illegal aliens from our communities,” acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello stated.
Delaney Hall, owned by GEO Group, housed immigrant detainees from 2011 to 2017 and sits adjacent to the Essex County jail. The private prison company confirmed the contract on an earnings call, aiming for operations to begin by late June, per the New Jersey Monitor.
ICE will pay GEO Group $60 million annually for 15 years, totaling $900 million. CEO David Donahue noted that Trump’s mass deportation policies would expand the “scale of opportunity” for the company.
A 2021 New Jersey law, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, banned ICE from opening immigrant detention facilities. However, a federal judge ruled part of the law unconstitutional in 2023. GEO Group sued in 2024, arguing the ban violates the Constitution’s supremacy clause.
New Jersey currently operates one immigration detention center in Elizabeth, with a 270-bed capacity.
Federal agents recently made arrests in Maryland and Georgia, underscoring ICE’s continued focus on detaining undocumented immigrants.
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