Democratic lawmakers who toured the federal immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on Wednesday described severe deficiencies in the facility, asserting that detainees are facing medical neglect and participating in a hunger strike.
U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said the facility is providing detainees with small food portions that “very often” contain maggots. He added that Tylenol remains the only medication available to those held at the site. Nadler said one female detainee has waited more than a month into her detention for a mammogram to evaluate a lump in her breast. He also said another detainee is suffering from colon cancer and is not receiving any treatment.
“The bottom line is, if you are human, if you are American, you cannot support what is going on here,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., following his tour of the site. “They’re living in jail conditions, and none of these people are criminals.”
The lawmakers’ statements follow days of continuous protests outside the Newark facility, where community advocates and demonstrators have gathered to decry conditions inside. Advocates have repeatedly asserted that detainees are conducting an ongoing hunger strike to protest their treatment.
Delaney Hall operates within the federal immigration enforcement network managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The site has faced periodic public scrutiny as the Department of Homeland Security processes and detains immigrants under changing federal enforcement directives.