Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed plans to open the East Coast’s largest immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, as part of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement. The facility, located at Delaney Hall, will have a capacity of 1,000 beds and serve as a key processing center for detainees.
ICE acting director Caleb Vitello emphasized the strategic benefits of the Newark location, stating that its proximity to an international airport will allow for more efficient deportations. The facility, previously used by ICE from 2011 to 2017, is owned by private prison operator GEO Group.
GEO Group secured a 15-year, $900 million contract with ICE to run the facility, with the company set to receive $60 million annually. The contract follows a federal court ruling that struck down a New Jersey law banning new immigrant detention centers, allowing GEO Group to resume operations at Delaney Hall.
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
The decision has sparked backlash from New Jersey Democrats, including Rep. LaMonica McIver, who called the move “a betrayal of the people of Newark.” Rep. Rob Menendez also criticized the contract, stating it would expand the administration’s immigration policies in “the wrong direction.”
— Ugly Chump (@JamesWolverton6) February 28, 2025
Advocacy groups have also voiced opposition. The ACLU of New Jersey warned that the facility could create a “climate of fear” in local immigrant communities. Meanwhile, Make the Road New Jersey, a group focused on immigrant rights, condemned the reopening as a profit-driven initiative that will lead to more deportations.
New Jersey’s only currently active ICE detention center, located in Elizabeth, houses just 270 detainees. Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center, which currently holds just over 1,000 people, had been the largest facility in the region before the Newark expansion.
