Booker Condemns Detainee Death in ICE Custody, Reaffirms Yearslong Call for Delaney Hall’s Permanent Closure

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) released the following statement after Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, died on Saturday, August 1, while held at Delaney Hall:

"I unequivocally condemn the death of yet another immigrant at Delaney Hall. It is unacceptable that people continue to die on ICE's watch. My thoughts are with his family and all who loved him. The circumstances surrounding his death are deeply disturbing: while my team is still collecting facts, public reports indicate that Lopez-Cornejo was denied access to necessary medical treatment while detained - an unlawful and inhumane practice that is well documented at this facility. This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last. I have visited the facility myself and witnessed these conditions firsthand, so I say this plainly: Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.

"This tragedy does not occur in isolation. ICE has exhibited a pattern of misconduct and abuse across every level of its operations. This death follows a video showing an ICE agent striking a protester with a baton into the path of an 18-wheeler truck. There are reports of detainees being assaulted and pepper-sprayed inside these walls. This is precisely why I refused to support giving this reckless and out of control agency a single dollar more. Congress must act to pass the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act to end the use of for-profit private detention facilities like Delaney Hall and to hold the agency accountable for its failure to provide required medical care. I am demanding answers from ICE regarding the medical care Mr. Lopez-Cornejo was denied, and I urge anyone with firsthand knowledge or any information to contact my office as well as the appropriate authorities. More than 70 percent of individuals in ICE detention have never been convicted of a crime. This man should be alive today. Delaney Hall should have been closed already."