Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reopening a large immigration detention center in Newark, marking a major expansion of detention capacity under the Trump administration. The facility at Delaney Hall will house up to 1,000 detainees, making it the largest of its kind on the East Coast.
ICE acting director Caleb Vitello stated that the Newark location offers logistical benefits, as it is close to an international airport and other major transportation hubs. Delaney Hall, which had previously operated as an ICE detention center from 2011 to 2017, is privately owned by GEO Group.
GEO Group secured a $900 million, 15-year contract with ICE to operate the facility. The company had been seeking to reopen the center for years but was blocked by a New Jersey law banning new immigrant detention centers. A federal court ruled last year that the law did not apply to private facilities, paving the way for the agreement.
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 drawn swift opposition from elected officials. Rep. LaMonica McIver called the move “a direct contradiction to the will of the people of Newark.” Rep. Rob Menendez echoed her concerns, arguing that expanding ICE detention centers “does not make communities safer.”
— Ugly Chump (@JamesWolverton6) February 28, 2025
Immigrant rights organizations have also raised concerns. Make the Road New Jersey accused the Trump administration of using private detention contracts to expand deportations, while the ACLU of New Jersey warned that the facility could lead to more aggressive immigration enforcement.
New Jersey currently operates one other ICE detention center, located in Elizabeth, which houses 270 detainees. Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center had previously been the largest facility in the region, with a capacity of just over 1,000 people. The addition of Delaney Hall will now make Newark home to the largest immigration detention center on the East Coast.
