NEWARK, NEW JERSEY — U.S. Senator Andy Kim said he was prevented from direct contact with detainees during his latest oversight visit to the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
This was the first time the Democratic congressman representing New Jersey returned to the facility since he was hit by pepper spray during a confrontation between ICE forces and protesters last month.
According to NJ.com, Mr. Kim stated that during this inspection, he found one detainee in severe pain but was unable to speak directly with many others inside the facility.
The Delaney Hall center has recently become the focus of controversy regarding detention conditions, medical care, and the treatment of detained immigrants. Numerous protests have taken place outside the facility in recent weeks.
In late May, Andy Kim said his eyes burned and he had difficulty breathing after federal forces used pepper spray to disperse a crowd of protesters outside Delaney Hall.
While activist groups and some Democratic lawmakers accuse the conditions inside the facility of being “inhumane,” the Department of Homeland Security and ICE officials deny the accusations, stating that the center meets federal standards. Some Republican lawmakers, after their own visits, also said the facility was clean and had adequate amenities for detainees.
Delaney Hall is a private immigration detention center operated by GEO Group under contract with ICE and has a capacity of over 1,000 people.
