Officials with the New Jersey Department of Health inspected a small portion of the immigration detention center in Newark on Thursday after they were denied full access to the facility, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).
The governor did not specify the size of the “limited part” of Delaney Hall, but she did promise to share the findings at a later date.
“We will review and share the Department’s findings from the limited portion it was allowed to inspect, and we will continue to pursue all appropriate avenues for demanding transparency and ensuring humane conditions for the individuals being held at the facility,” Sherrill wrote in a statement Thursday afternoon.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, the Department of Homeland Security said the limited health inspection lasted about 90 minutes while noting that the facility is “regularly audited and inspected” by third parties.
“Today, four representatives of the New Jersey State Health Department arrived at approximately 11:00 a.m.,” a DHS spokesperson said. “They entered the facility and inspected the foodservice department. The inspection of the kitchen was completed and they departed around 12:30 p.m.”
“ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance based national detention standards,” the spokesperson added. “All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”
The inspection came three days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement blocked Sherrill and other New Jersey Democrats from accessing the building. The governor criticized ICE for denying them entry.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view,” she said.
“New Jersey believes in the rule of law, will uphold the Constitution, and Delaney Hall should be closed down,” she said. “I am calling for ICE to immediately de-escalate the situation as I continue working to keep New Jersey residents safe.”
The situation at Delaney Hall is growing increasingly tense as anti-ICE protesters clash with federal officers outside the facility while detainees take part in a hunger and labor strike over the alleged inhumane conditions inside the prison.
DHS disputes the existence of the strike and maintains there are no “subprime” conditions. Democratic politicians insist otherwise.
On Thursday, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said his office has received calls from his constituents about the “use of pepper spray and physical force against detainees inside Delaney Hall.” He says the reported law enforcement actions, if true, must stop.
“ICE and GEO Group have a responsibility to keep detainees safe,” he said of the immigration agency and the security company that owns and operates Delaney Hall. “They’ve instead refused to let State health officials conduct full inspections and have repeatedly stood in the way of Congressional oversight.”
Earlier this week, Kim was pepper-sprayed by ICE during his appearance at the protest. After Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said the senator shouldn’t have been at the site, Kim vowed to “do it all over again” if it meant effectuating change.
BOVINO TEASES VISIT TO NEW JERSEY IMMIGRATION CENTER TO ‘HANDLE’ PROTESTS HIMSELF
Other federal lawmakers who visited Delaney Hall this week include Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Analilia Mejia (D-NJ), and LaMonica McIver (D-NJ). McIver faces assault and interference charges stemming from her alleged involvement in a physical altercation with federal officers outside Delaney Hall last May.
As the anti-ICE protest nears its one-week mark on Friday, Mullin threatened to pull Customs and Border Protection agents who process international passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport to help ICE officers control the crowd of protesters.
