Newark expands legal fight over Delaney Hall detention center after blocked health inspection
Newark plans to expand its legal effort to shut down the Delaney Hall immigration detention center, according to a July 24 report, as New Jersey continues a separate lawsuit against the facility’s operator over restricted access for state health inspectors.
The two actions concern the privately operated Newark facility but are procedurally distinct. New Jersey’s lawsuit seeks access for Department of Health inspectors after the state said GEO Group did not allow a full inspection. The reporting on July 24 said Newark intended to broaden its own effort to close the facility, though the approved sources do not provide a docket number or detailed procedural description of that expanded city action.
State lawsuit followed limited May inspection
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the state lawsuit against GEO Group on June 2. The state said its Department of Health inspectors were admitted to Delaney Hall on May 28, but only with limited access.
According to the state announcement, inspectors were barred from the medical unit, sleeping areas, and bathing and toileting areas. Those were among the areas the state described as crucial to its inspection effort.
The lawsuit is an effort to obtain access for Department of Health inspectors and raises compliance concerns related to conditions at the facility. It does not establish that health violations have been finally determined, and the approved sources do not describe a court order closing Delaney Hall.
City sought independent oversight before lawsuit announcement
Mayor Ras J. Baraka had called for a full and independent Department of Health inspection in a May 26 city statement, two days before the limited May 28 inspection cited by the state. Baraka also called for periodic inspections and compliance with public-health and safety standards.
That city statement sought oversight, while the state’s subsequent action was a lawsuit against GEO Group. The July report described Newark’s planned expansion as an effort to shut the facility down, rather than an announced final closure or a completed court action.
The dispute places municipal authority, state public-health regulation, and the operation of an immigration detention center at issue in Newark. Its immediate focus is whether state inspectors can obtain full access to the facility, including the areas they were previously barred from entering.
What comes next
No hearing date, inspection deadline, vote total, funding amount, or final judicial ruling is identified in the approved materials. The next known developments are the state’s pursuit of inspection access in its lawsuit and Newark’s reported plan to expand its separate legal effort.
Whether Delaney Hall remains open, and whether officials gain the full inspection access sought by the state, will depend on those continuing legal and regulatory steps.
Sources
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