RELEASE: Gottheimer Visits Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center

Above: Congressman Gottheimer Visits Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), and New Jersey Representatives Rob Menendez, Jr. (NJ-8) and LaMonica McIver (NJ-10).

NEWARK, NJ — Today, May 31, 2026, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) visited Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, his first stop immediately upon returning from a House Intelligence Committee trip to the Middle East and Asia. Gottheimer went directly from the plane to fulfill his congressional oversight responsibilities, where he met Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8), and New Jersey Representatives Rob Menendez, Jr. (NJ-8) and LaMonica McIver (NJ-10). 

Gottheimer’s visit follows a series of concerning reports emerging from Delaney Hall regarding the treatment of detainees inside. His attention to Delaney Hall is longstanding. Gottheimer previously led a letter to the Trump Administration urging action on reports of poor conditions and mistreatment of detainees, highlighting the importance of legal oversight. With the facility at capacity, the safety and well-being of both detainees and staff must be a top priority.

“Immediately upon returning to the United States from my House Intelligence Committee trip to the Middle East, I traveled to the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark to conduct an oversight visit as part of my responsibilities in Congress. While there, I received a briefing from officials, spoke directly with detainees, and observed the conditions first-hand,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “The people I met were guilty of nothing more than working hard in America to provide for their families, and now sit in a cell.  For them, I am deeply sympathetic, and I want to ensure proper treatment and care. These were not violent criminals — those don’t deserve to be in our country.”

Gottheimer continued, “My family, like nearly every American family, came here seeking opportunity. Those held at Delaney Hall deserve better, and I’ll keep working with the Department of Homeland Security and my colleagues to make sure conditions at detention facilities improve — especially here in Jersey — and that our immigration enforcement system lives up to our values.”

Gottheimer spoke with dozens of people during his visit, many of whom, because of extreme processing backlogs, are being held far longer than they are supposed to be. Detainees awaiting a hearing or who had volunteered to return to their country of origin are still stuck in a facility that is not built, nor staffed, for long-term detention, creating difficult conditions for detainees and staff alike.  

While inside, members of Congress spoke with detainees who had legal status and were valued community members, including a mechanic and dad of two young children, who owns his own Jersey business, and an eighteen-year-old, just one month from graduating high school. She has a mom and two younger siblings who live locally. Although her local high school has offered virtual classes, so she can graduate on track, Delaney Hall denied her access to the technology.

The individual the Congressman met today did not qualify as the “worst of the worst.” Many of them have spent decades paying taxes, running small businesses, raising their families, and contributing positively to their communities. Immigration enforcement in this country must live up to our values as Americans, and those responsible for the treatment of these individuals must be held accountable. 

Gottheimer has long advocated for comprehensive immigration reform and a commonsense approach to immigration enforcement that places accountability and professionalism at the forefront. His ICE Standards Act, introduced earlier this year, would establish mandatory training requirements, body-worn camera mandates, clear identification standards, de-escalation protocols, protections for American citizens, and advanced notification to state and local law enforcement — designed to make enforcement more transparent and effective.

Visits like today’s reflect Gottheimer’s commitment to ensuring federal agencies operating in New Jersey communities are held to a higher standard. As immigration enforcement has accelerated nationwide, Gottheimer has called on Congress to gather the facts and put the right standards in place.

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