Jeffries demands closure of New Jersey ICE detention center

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has called for the immediate shutdown of the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey, citing a pattern of neglect and abuse that he says violates American values.

Speaking at a press briefing at Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown on Tuesday, Jeffries was joined by New Jersey Representatives Analilia Mejia and Rob Menendez. The event followed a closed-door roundtable where lawmakers heard from family members of individuals who died in custody or were killed by immigration agents.

Jeffries, who said he has personally visited Delaney Hall, described conditions there as "un-American," pointing to inadequate medical care for detainees with severe illnesses, neglect of pregnant women, rancid food, and unsanitary living conditions.

"Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the people of this community, this state, and throughout our country," Jeffries said. "Instead, taxpayer dollars are being used by ICE and Donald Trump's violent mass deportation machine to brutalize and kill American citizens and law-abiding immigrant families."

One former detainee, Margarita Cielo Balbuena, who was held at the Elizabeth Detention Center and released on June 29, described through an interpreter the lasting trauma of her experience. She said she still fears driving, leaving her home, and being separated from her children and husband, and that she struggles to sleep and speak about what she endured.

The call to close Delaney Hall follows months of reports about the facility, including a hunger strike by detainees in May that drew high-profile demonstrations outside the 1,000-bed center.

Jeffries pledged that shutting down Delaney Hall would remain a "high priority" for Democrats, and indicated the facility would be closed if the party regains control of the House in the November midterm elections.