The Trump administration is expanding its immigration enforcement operations with the reopening of Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed detention center in Newark. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the facility will serve as a key processing center for detainees as the administration prioritizes immigration law enforcement.
ICE acting director Caleb Vitello pointed to the facility’s proximity to an international airport as a logistical advantage, stating that it would help expedite processing and deportation efforts. Delaney Hall, owned by private prison company GEO Group, previously operated as a federal immigration detention center until 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 has secured a $900 million contract over 15 years to manage the facility, with plans to have it operational by the summer. The private prison company had been seeking to reopen the center since the Biden administration, eventually challenging a New Jersey law that prohibited new immigration detention contracts. A federal judge ruled that the state’s restrictions did not apply to privately run facilities.
— Ugly Chump (@JamesWolverton6) February 28, 2025
The decision to reopen Delaney Hall has sparked opposition from Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) criticized the move, arguing that private detention centers lack transparency and could result in detainees facing prolonged incarceration. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) also voiced his disapproval, saying the expansion of detention centers aligns with the administration’s “inhumane” immigration policies.
Immigrant advocacy groups have also expressed concern, with Make the Road New Jersey warning that the facility’s operation could instill fear in immigrant communities. The ACLU of New Jersey called the contract “one of the largest immigration detention agreements” in the state’s history.
While New Jersey currently has one immigration detention center in Elizabeth, neighboring states such as Pennsylvania and New York maintain multiple facilities, with Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center being the region’s largest.
