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Fact-Check: ICE Detention Conditions & the Delaney Hall Hunger Strike

Detainee allegations at Newark’s Delaney Hall are unverified on-site but consistent with a documented pattern of medical neglect and deaths across ICE facilities nationwide.

2026-05-28

True

Hundreds of Delaney Hall detainees went on hunger strike over conditions

Unproven

Detainees face inadequate food, medical care, and torture

True

DHS dismissed the situation as a smear and denied any hunger strike

True

Mullin threatened to halt international flights to sanctuary cities

By the Numbers

46
Deaths in ICE custody
Jan 2025 – Mar 2026
68,000+
People detained
as of Feb 2026
36%
Drop in facility
inspections (2025)
288
Detainees signed
Delaney Hall letter

What The Independent Claimed

The Independent's May 27 article reported on DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's threat to halt international flight processing at airports in sanctuary cities, protests at Delaney Hall in Newark, and a hunger strike over "inhumane conditions." Here's how each major claim checks out:

Hundreds of detainees went on hunger strike over inhumane conditions

Supported

Multiple independent outlets — CNN[1], Time[2], New Jersey Monitor[3], and Gothamist[4] — confirm approximately 300 detainees launched a hunger and labor strike on or around May 22, 2026. An open letter signed by 288 detainees detailing conditions was obtained and reported on independently by Gothamist and the Jersey Vindicator[5].
Detainees describe inadequate food and medical care, physical and psychological torture

Unverified on-site

The 288-signature letter does make these allegations — specifically spoiled food (including worms in meals), flu outbreaks without treatment, denial of care for HIV, cancer, diabetes, and heart conditions, sewage backups, sleeping on floors, and cold rooms without blankets[4][5]. These have not been independently verified by inspectors, because DHS has denied entry to New Jersey's governor, members of Congress, and state health inspectors[2]. However, Senator Andy Kim, who did gain access Saturday, reported seeing "a high school student crying" and "a woman who had a miscarriage," and described congealed milk[6].
DHS dismissed the situation as a "smear campaign" and denied any hunger strike

Supported

DHS's own press release[7] states: "This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks. There is NO hunger strike at Delaney Hall. There are NO subprime conditions or abuse at the facility." DHS claims all detainees receive three daily meals evaluated by certified dietitians, clean water, clothes, bedding, and toiletries.
Mullin threatened to halt international flights to sanctuary cities

Supported

Direct quotes from Mullin's Fox News appearance, independently reported across outlets. The travel industry responded with a statement warning of "devastating consequences."[8]

Delaney Hall: What Detainees Say vs. What DHS Says

This is the core dispute — and it currently cannot be resolved because DHS is blocking independent inspection.

Issue Detainee letter claims DHS response
Food Spoiled food, worms in meals, inadequate portions Three daily meals, certified dietitians
Medical care Weeks-long waits; HIV, cancer, diabetes untreated "No subprime conditions"
Living conditions Sleeping on floors, no blankets, cold rooms, sewage Clean bedding, clothes, toiletries provided
Hunger strike ~300 participants as of May 22 "There is NO hunger strike"
Legal access Inadequate representation, overburdened judges, no translators Phone access for family and lawyers
Key context

DHS's blanket denial — including that no hunger strike is occurring — is contradicted by the 288-signature letter, multiple attorney confirmations, and CNN reporting from outside the facility.[1] The denial's credibility is further undermined by DHS simultaneously refusing entry to elected officials and state inspectors who could independently verify conditions.[2]

GEO Group's Track Record

Delaney Hall is operated by GEO Group under a $1 billion, 15-year contract with ICE, reopened as a detention facility in May 2025[9]. GEO Group is one of the two largest private prison contractors in the United States. Its documented history is directly relevant to evaluating the current allegations:

  • Forced labor lawsuits: Detainees at multiple GEO facilities have alleged being paid as little as $1/day for mandatory work programs[9]
  • Medical neglect litigation: At North Lake Processing Center (Michigan), a former detainee is suing GEO after being denied prescribed antibiotics, leading to near-sepsis. Dozens of 911 calls have been placed from the facility since it opened in June 2025[10]
  • COVID-era chemical exposure: Lawsuits alleged GEO exposed detainees to harmful chemicals during sanitation, causing health problems[9]
  • Local legal fight: Newark has an active lawsuit against GEO for bypassing local permits and safety inspections to open Delaney Hall; the case is in court-ordered mediation with a June 15 deadline[11]
  • June 2025 uprising: Four detainees escaped Delaney Hall after dozens mounted an uprising, just one month after the facility opened[6]

This track record does not prove current conditions at Delaney Hall match what detainees allege. But it establishes that GEO Group has a pattern of the exact issues being raised — making the allegations neither surprising nor inherently implausible.

The National Death Toll

Unlike the Delaney Hall situation, the broader ICE detention crisis is backed by hard numbers from ICE's own records and extensive government investigations.

33
Deaths in 2025
(vs. 11 in 2024)
13
Deaths Jan–Mar 2026
(on pace to exceed 2025)
32/46
Deaths from worsening
existing conditions
36/46
Died within 3 months
of detention

2025 was the deadliest year for ICE detention in over two decades, and 2026 is on pace to surpass it[10]. The KFF analysis of ICE death records[10] found:

  • 32 of 46 deaths involved people with existing medical conditions whose health deteriorated in custody
  • 36 of 46 deaths occurred within three months of detention — indicating a failure at intake/early care
  • 9 deaths were reported as suicide
  • 121 pregnant people were detained as of February 2026, contradicting ICE's own stated policy limiting such detention

Documented Conditions at Other Facilities

These are not allegations — they come from government investigations, court filings, and ICE's own records.

Facility Source Documented issue
Adelanto, CA CalMatters/State investigation[12] 2,000+ detainees with fewer physicians than when the facility held <100. Six deaths in California facilities in one year.
Imperial Regional, CA CalMatters/State investigation[12] Detainee with known hypertension waited 11 days for medication; died of heart attack five days after it was prescribed.
North Lake, MI (GEO Group) CNN investigation[10] Dozens of emergency 911 calls. Detainee denied antibiotics, hospitalized after release to prevent sepsis.
Camp East Montana, TX ICE contract termination[10] ICE itself terminated the operator's contract for inadequate healthcare. Replacement made no documented corrections.
California facilities (statewide) 175-page state report[12] Crowded sites unable to provide basic medical care. Detainees wept during investigator interviews.

The Oversight Collapse

The conditions crisis is compounded by a simultaneous collapse in the systems meant to catch problems:

Jan 2025
DHS shuts down its civil rights oversight offices and defunds detainee legal aid programs[10]
2025
ICE facility inspections drop 36% even as detentions surge 70%+ (from 39,000 to 68,000+)[13]
Oct 2025
ICE contractor payment system lapses after VA terminates agreement[10]
Jan 2026
Senator Ossoff releases report documenting 1,000+ credible abuse reports including denial of insulin, mistreatment of pregnant women, malnutrition, and sleep deprivation[14]
Feb 2026
California federal court orders ICE to improve staffing and medication access[10]
May 2026
DHS OIG unannounced inspections find violations at multiple facilities: improper segregation, broken grievance systems, verbal abuse by staff, living conditions violating ICE's own standards[13]
May 25, 2026
DHS denies any problems at Delaney Hall while simultaneously blocking the governor, senators, and state inspectors from entering[7]

Bottom Line

Adversarial check

The strongest counter-argument: detainee letters are advocacy documents, not evidence. People facing deportation have incentive to exaggerate conditions for political sympathy. DHS's denial could be accurate, and elected officials' visits are politically motivated photo ops. This argument fails because (a) DHS is blocking the independent inspection that would settle the question, (b) DHS's own Inspector General has found violations at other facilities, (c) GEO Group has a documented, litigated history of exactly these conditions, and (d) the nationwide death toll is a matter of public record, not allegation.

The Independent's article is accurate in what it reports but surface-level in its analysis. The deeper picture:

  • Delaney Hall specifically: The hunger strike is real (multiple independent sources vs. a blanket DHS denial). The specific conditions — food, medical care, living standards — remain unverified because DHS is blocking inspection, not because evidence refutes them.
  • The broader system: Conditions across ICE detention are extensively documented by the DHS Inspector General, Senate investigations, state inspectors, federal courts, and ICE's own death records. The pattern — medical neglect, understaffing, overcrowding, record deaths — is not allegation. It is established fact.
  • The credibility gap: DHS's position is simultaneously "nothing is wrong" and "we won't let you check." That combination — denial plus blocked access — is the weakest possible posture. If conditions were as DHS describes, allowing inspection would prove it.

Sources

  1. Protesters clash with agents outside New Jersey ICE facility. Inside, detainees continue their hunger strike, attorneys say
  2. What to Know About Protests at New Jersey ICE Facility
  3. Newark migrant jail detainees launch hunger, labor strike over conditions behind bars
  4. Letter with 300 signatures describes 'torture' ICE detainees face in Newark
  5. Nearly 300 detainees sign new SOS letter from inside Newark ICE facility
  6. Protesters clash with ICE agents during protest at Delaney Hall in Newark amid hunger strike inside
  7. DHS Debunks New Jersey Sanctuary Politicians' Smears Against ICE Facility
  8. Trump admin 'drawing up' plans to stop international flights to Democratic 'sanctuary cities'
  9. Prison Company Foresees 'Unprecedented' Revenue, Announces Massive Newark ICE Lock-Up
  10. Deaths and Health Care Issues in ICE Detention Centers Under the Second Trump Administration
  11. Judge sends Newark's lawsuit against Delaney Hall operator to mediation
  12. California sent investigators into ICE detention centers. Detainees wept in interviews
  13. ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025
  14. U.S. Immigration Detention Oversight: Patterns of Abuse