New Jersey's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the private company operating the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre, demanding access for health inspectors amid allegations of “inhumane and unsanitary conditions”. The legal action, brought on Tuesday by Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, seeks a court order requiring the GEO Group to grant the state health department full access to the facility.
The lawsuit follows a hunger and labour strike by detainees that began more than 10 days ago, with protests outside the Newark facility turning violent after dark. Governor Mikie Sherrill and other officials visited the centre over the Memorial Day weekend, but Davenport's office said the GEO Group refused demands for full transparency.
Last Thursday, state health inspectors were allowed a limited inspection but were barred from examining the medical unit, sleeping, bathing and toilet areas. “If the GEO Group – with a $1bn government contract – has nothing to hide … then there is no legitimate reason why my health inspectors are being kept from full access,” Sherrill said.
The lawsuit argues that inspectors need to assess whether the company is taking sufficient precautions to mitigate the risk of communicable diseases, including Covid-19 and influenza. It also cites reports of unsanitary bathroom conditions and inadequate tuberculosis infection control practices.
Activists, however, have criticised the state's response, with some protesting outside Davenport's office on Tuesday. Ben Dziobek of the Climate Revolution Action Network said the lawsuit was “not enough”, while Alexia Diaz described it as progress but noted that demands from hunger strikers, including a meeting with the governor, remained unmet.
