A group of New Jersey Democratic congress members are condemning the treatment of visitors to Delaney Hall, the immigration jail in Newark run by the for-profit private prison company GEO Group.
“It has come to our attention that individuals visiting their loved ones have been routinely subjected to inhumane and unsafe conditions while waiting for entry into the facility,” the group wrote in a letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and GEO Group CEO David Donahue. In July, an appeals court struck down New Jersey’s ban on private prisons.
Democratic lawmakers Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone, Robert J. Menendez, Josh Gottheimer, LaMonica McIver, and Nellie Pou signed the letter. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee for governor, did not sign it.
The letter references a recent incident captured on video where visitors waited outside in a thunderstorm.
“Most recently, on September 6, 2025, visitors were forced to wait outside along a metal fence during thunderstorms, that included torrential rain and lightning, without shelter or consideration for their safety,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Reports have also surfaced of visitors left standing for hours in the heat of the summer sun, exposed to extreme temperatures and health risks,” they continued, adding that “these conditions are unacceptable.”
The lawmakers called for the jail to make numerous changes, including providing indoor or covered waiting areas, consistent visiting hours, adequate access to parking, and reliable access to bathrooms for visitors.
Documented has reported that visitors have been made to wait outside, sometimes in temperatures nearing 100 degrees, for seven to 12 hours, and are then still not allowed to visit their loved ones.
“This is my fourth attempt to get in. I’ve been unable to do so,” one visitor told Documented over the summer. “Having people stand out here for hours on end in this hot, burning sun, including the little children, is inhumane.”
Several of the letter’s signatories have an inconsistent record on human rights, particularly when it comes to Israel’s genocide in Gaza or the torture, starvation, and sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Norcross, Pallone, Gottheimer, Pou, and Menendez have all received donations from the Israeli lobby, according to Track AIPAC. AIPAC is Gottheimer’s top donor, and Pou recently went on an AIPAC-sponsored trip to Israel.
Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed immigration jail, reopened in May, and has been the site of protests for months. In May, federal agents arrested Newark City Mayor Ras Baraka after he attempted to conduct a site visit of the jail, along with members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, including Representative McIver.
A recently released video shows Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge, Ricky J. Patel, ending a phone call, saying, “Okay, we’re cuffing him right now.”
Patel then told masked officers gathered around him, “We’re going to walk out of the gates. I’m going to place the mayor in handcuffs. Okay? We are arresting the mayor right now, per the Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Anyone who gets in our way, I need you guys to give me a perimeter so I can cuff ‘em.”
Federal agents subsequently arrested Baraka and McIver, who is still fighting charges related to her arrest.
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