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The basics:

• NJ files suit against GEO Group over access to Delaney Hall
• State health officials say inspectors denied access to key areas
• Allegations include unsanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, health risks
• Newark officials plan expanded legal action as protests, scrutiny continue

The Sherrill administration escalated its battle with the operator of Newark’s Delaney Hall immigration detention center, filing suit June 2 against The GEO Group. The move comes after state health officials said they were denied full access to inspect the facility amid mounting allegations of unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

Attorney General Jennifer Davenport filed the lawsuit on behalf of the New Jersey Department of Health. It seeks a court order compelling The GEO Group to allow inspectors access to all areas of Delaney Hall, including medical units, sleeping quarters and bathing facilities.

The legal action also comes as Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced the city will take a larger role in managing public safety around Delaney Hall.

The development follows days of protests and clashes with law enforcement outside of the facility. The scenes and social media clips have garnered national attention, as well as growing political scrutiny of conditions inside the facility.

Shifting focus

“What we are most concerned about is that the public conversation has shifted away from what matters most,” Baraka said during a June 2 press conference. “Not just what’s happening outside Delaney Hall, but what’s happening inside of Delaney Hall.

“The detainees, their families, the real harm and hardship that they’re experiencing.”

The latest developments mark another chapter in a rapidly evolving dispute that has drawn national attention, pitting state and local officials against federal immigration authorities and The GEO Group. The private prison operator runs Delaney Hall under a roughly $1 billion federal contract.

According to the state’s complaint, NJDOH inspectors received access to the facility May 28, however they were restricted from inspecting critical areas, such as medical and housing units. Subsequent requests for a full inspection were denied.

“If the GEO Group – with a $1 billion government contract – has nothing to hide and the conditions inside Delaney Hall are as safe and as sanitary as this private corporation and the Trump Administration claim, then there is no legitimate reason why my health inspectors are being kept from full access throughout the building,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement.

NEW: @NewJerseyOAG just filed a lawsuit against the GEO Group, demanding that the court grant the New Jersey Department of Health full access to inspect Delaney Hall.

If ICE and the GEO Group – with a $1 billion government contract – have nothing to hide and the conditions… https://t.co/wWWbBg6POV

— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) June 2, 2026

Calls for a full inspection

The state cites reports of spoiled food, inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions and potential communicable disease concerns. That includes reports of flu and COVID-19, as well as tuberculosis cases.

Davenport said The GEO Group is violating state law by preventing inspectors from conducting a full health and safety review.

“The reports of unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside Delaney Hall are extremely concerning, and GEO Group – like any other business and facility in New Jersey – must follow the law,” said Davenport.

The GEO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ICE ‘committed to transparency’

The Department of Homeland Security, however, blasted the lawsuit as “frivolous” in a social media statement Tuesday.

“ICE is committed to transparency, and Delaney Hall complies with all required state and local laws,” DHS said. The agency noted that state health officials were allowed to inspect the facility’s food-service last week.

“Just last week on May 28, four representatives of the New Jersey State Health Department arrived at approximately 11:00 AM. They entered the facility and inspected the food service department. The inspection of the kitchen was completed and they departed around 12:30 PM. We will continue to grant state and local inspectors’ access to the facility where appropriate.

“ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies. All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”

Clashes and confrontation

The lawsuit follows a tumultuous stretch around Delaney Hall that has included protests, confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement, arrests and the pepper-spraying of Democratic U.S. Sen. Andy Kim from New Jersey.

Kim, who visited the facility over Memorial Day weekend, has said he witnessed deteriorating conditions inside. He has also recounted attempting to use his diplomatic experience to de-escalate tensions outside Delaney Hall.

During a recent interview with NJBIZ, Kim described meeting a pregnant woman who said she does not receive adequate medical care, a man suffering from Stage 3 lung cancer, and an 18-year-old high school senior who said she simply wanted “to go to prom and graduate this year.”

That student’s case took a significant turn Tuesday, officials said.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, N.Y.-8th District, and New Jersey Democratic Reps. Rob Menendez, 8th District; LaMonica McIver, 10th District; and Josh Gottheimer, 5th District, announced that the teenager, Ariadna, was released from Delaney Hall and returned home to Orange after months in detention.

They described her as a DREAMer never accused of any violent crimes.

“Yesterday, after months of advocacy, an 18-year-old high school senior finally returned to her Orange, New Jersey home after her months-long detainment at the Delaney Hall facility,” the statement said. “On Sunday, we had the opportunity to speak with Ariadna, who, even after being subjected to detention for months, remains singularly focused on resuming her high school studies, with an intent to pursue a career in law.”

‘Mass deportation scheme’

In their statement, the lawmakers described the student as a “remarkable young woman” who frequently provided translation assistance between detainees, guards and visitors. That echoes Kim’s account of a student who helped fellow detainees communicate while being held at the facility.

“Donald Trump claimed his immigration enforcement would be targeted at violent felons who are in this country unlawfully,” the lawmakers said. “Instead, stories like Ariadna’s are far too common throughout his mass deportation scheme.”

The release adds another high-profile example to the broader debate over who is detained at Delaney Hall. Elected officials and advocates have argued many detainees do not fit the administration’s public characterization of dangerous offenders. DHS has vehemently countered that argument.

Increased police presence

The unrest outside the facility has become almost as much a focal point as the conditions inside.

Last week, Sherrill deployed additional New Jersey State Police resources into the area amid concerns that a larger federal law enforcement presence could further inflame tensions around the facility.

On May 29, the governor announced the creation of a protected protest zone outside Delaney Hall. Sherrill said she would not allow ICE to use unrest around the facility as a “pretext to expand operations” in New Jersey.

“Our top priority is public safety – and we need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature now,” Sherrill said.

The move came as tensions between protesters and federal authorities continued to intensify. Over the following days, demonstrations outside Delaney Hall escalated into clashes.

On May 30, Sherrill defended the deployment of state police. She argued the action was necessary to prevent what she described as an increased ICE presence around Delaney Hall. The following day, she condemned individuals who allegedly attacked barriers, threw projectiles and set tires on fire.

Sherrill stressed that such actions should not distract from concerns about detainee treatment inside the facility.

“My number one priority will always be public safety, and I remain dedicated to protecting constitutional rights,” Sherrill said May 31. “We simply cannot let ICE surge into our community.”

Re-opening Doremus Avenue

As tensions escalated, state officials established protected protest zones around Delaney Hall. Meanwhile, Newark later imposed a nightly curfew May 31.

During Tuesday’s press conference, however, Baraka said those restrictions would end June 2.

“Soon we will be removing these protective or freedom-of-speech zones that were created and allow people to come back onto Doremus Avenue,” Baraka said.

Following discussions with the governor’s office and state officials, the mayor said Newark will now have a greater role in overseeing public safety operations around the facility. “We have been allowed, working still in close conjunction with the state, to begin to manage what’s going on in this area,” said Baraka.

MAYOR RAS J. BARAKA STATEMENT ON NEWARK POLICE EXERCISING GREATER SPAN OF CONTROL OF DELANEY HALL AREA pic.twitter.com/7MSU8fgBO1

— City of Newark (@CityofNewarkNJ) June 1, 2026

Mirroring aggression

While Baraka praised Sherrill for taking action amid growing tensions, he suggested some tactics employed by state police mirror the aggressive approach critics have attributed to federal immigration authorities.

“I think the state police used their training. Unfortunately, their training was not appropriate for what was happening in this area at the time,” the mayor said.

“They kind of resembled what ICE was doing in the first place. And I think that helped further escalate the situation. We wanted to de-escalate the situation – and I think our officers are more trained in de-escalation.

I think the state police used their training. Unfortunately, their training was not appropriate for what was happening in this area at the time.
—Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

“Not because we were just born that way, but because we just went through a consent decree, and our officers have been trained. So, we have a little bit more restraint – and I think that that’s important,” Baraka said.

Despite those criticisms, both the mayor and Sherrill have increasingly emphasized cooperation between state and local officials.

Visitations resume

On May 31, Sherrill announced that the Department of Homeland Security agreed to restore family visitation rights at Delaney Hall after pressure from state officials and advocates.

The governor said her administration remains focused on improving conditions inside the facility, ensuring detainees receive medical care and due process, and ultimately closing Delaney Hall.

The following day, Sherrill credited Newark and Baraka for helping stabilize the situation outside the detention center.

“I’m grateful for our partnership with the City of Newark and Mayor Baraka as we’ve ensured that ICE has not surged into our streets, our law enforcement has secured the area outside Delaney Hall, and we’ve restored visitation rights for detainees and their families,” Sherrill said June 1.

Sherrill also announced that Newark police would assume the lead role in public safety operations around Delaney Hall. State officials will provide support as needed.

Focusing on detainees

AG Davenport echoed that message the same day. She praised the cooperation between the New Jersey State Police, Newark Police Department and other agencies.

“As of earlier this afternoon, Newark Police Department is the primary command on public safety operations outside of Delaney Hall,” said Davenport. “As always, New Jersey State Police will continue to assist local law enforcement in keeping communities safe and protecting the constitutional right to peacefully protest.”

The mayor repeatedly stressed that attention should remain focused on detainees rather than clashes outside the facility.

We can’t have the attention turn to the escalation that’s going on outside and away from what’s happening in the property, because our real reason for being out here is to make sure Delaney Hall is closed.
– Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

“We can’t have the attention turn to the escalation that’s going on outside and away from what’s happening in the property. Because our real reason for being out here is to make sure Delaney Hall is closed,” Baraka said Tuesday. “All the attention on violence takes us away from detainees, who the overwhelming majority of the detainees are not criminals.

“Some of them have even been to court and were arrested at their hearing.”

‘A dispute about human lives’

At Tuesday’s press conference, Baraka also revealed Newark plans to expand its ongoing litigation against The GEO Group.

The mayor argues the company improperly opened Delaney Hall without complying with local land-use and permitting requirements. He said that newly surfaced allegations about conditions inside warrant additional legal action.

“This is just not a dispute about garbage and debris. This is a dispute about human lives,” Baraka stressed. “About people and the way they’re being treated, whether they’re detainees or not. We have a constitution in this country. We have basic human rights that we follow. People have to be treated humanely in these institutions.

“We believe that this is not the case.”

The mayor said Newark has renewed requests for access by city inspectors.

Republican criticism

Meanwhile, Republicans argued that the unrest outside Delaney Hall reflects the consequences of Democratic rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement.

Sen. Michael Testa, R-1st District, applauded Sherrill for sending in the State Police.

“I appreciate Gov. Sherrill’s decision to cooperate with federal authorities and deploy the New Jersey State Police to restore order at Delaney Hall,” Testa said. “The brave men and women of law enforcement, both state and federal, deserve our gratitude for standing their ground to protect peaceful protesters, nearby residents, and public safety in the face of escalating unrest from violent agitators.”

However, Testa argued that “months of hateful rhetoric and political posturing” contributed to the tensions surrounding Delaney Hall. He also criticized the governor’s ICE reporting portal and broader approach to immigration enforcement.

Sen. Jim Holzapfel, R-10th District, likewise took aim at the administration’s earlier approach.

“Gov. Sherrill helped create the environment that led to the chaos at Delaney Hall,” Holzapfel said. At the same time, he said he appreciated Sherrill’s decision to work with the Trump administration and deploy state police “to restore order and protect the public.”

“This situation should serve as a reminder that political rhetoric and public policy have real-world consequences,” Holzapfel said.

What began as a battle over conditions inside Delaney Hall has now drawn national attention, with elected officials, immigration advocates and federal authorities locked in an increasingly high-profile confrontation. As legal challenges advance and questions surrounding the facility persist, the story continues to evolve.

Stay with NJBIZ for the very latest on this developing story.