Salvadoran man dies in ICE detention in New Jersey

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old man from El Salvador, died after a medical emergency while held in US immigration detention in New Jersey, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

ICE said Monday that Lopez-Cornejo had been detained on June 18 after the agency said he had “illegally reentered the US” after first coming to the country in 2006. He was held at Delaney Hall Detention Facility before suffering an unspecified medical emergency and dying Saturday at University Hospital in Newark, ICE said.

The agency said the cause of death was subject to further medical examination.

Lopez-Cornejo’s mother, Maria Cornejo, told the New Jersey Monitor she was “heartbroken” and did not know the circumstances of his death. She said he was not being given medication regularly for diabetes and high blood pressure, the site reported.

ICE said Lopez-Cornejo had received “proper medical care” in detention.

The 1,000-bed Delaney Hall facility in Newark has faced protests in recent months over alleged poor conditions. US Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, called for it to be closed, saying: “This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka also demanded the facility’s closure after Lopez-Cornejo’s death. He said contractor GEO Group and ICE had shown disregard for transparency, public oversight and laws protecting the health, safety and dignity of people in custody.

According to the office of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, detainees had previously complained of undrinkable water, lack of medical attention, and the spread of flu and Covid-19 inside the facility.