A Third New Jersey Delaney Hall Detainee Dies, but ICE Claims They Have No Obligation To Track the Death
Evading responsibility.
A third detainee of Delaney Hall, New Jersey’s largest immigrant detention facility, has died after a medical emergency that ICE claims it has no obligation to track. According to The Hill, Jose Chajon-Raxon, a Guatemalan immigrant, was hospitalized on July 19 after a nurse noticed him experiencing seizure-like activity while responding to another emergency. He was released from ICE custody on July 22 and later died.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not disclosed when Chajon-Raxon’s death occurred or provided further details about his condition after leaving the hospital. The incident has reignited criticism of ICE’s policies, particularly its stance that it bears no responsibility for monitoring or reviewing deaths once a detainee is no longer in custody.
A DHS spokesperson defended the position, calling it “common sense” and arguing that ICE cannot be held accountable for deaths that occur weeks after release. But lawmakers and advocates say the policy creates a dangerous loophole, allowing the agency to avoid scrutiny by releasing detainees before they die.
The criticism against ICE has intensified after Chajon-Raxon’s death
Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey who has called for Delaney Hall’s closure, took to X to condemn the agency’s response. “ICE cannot simply send a detainee out for medical care and pretend they aren’t still on the hook, especially when GEO Group has repeatedly failed to provide care at Delaney Hall,” he wrote. “I will keep fighting to shut this place down and shine a light on the poor conditions.”
Kim’s frustration reflects broader concerns about the facility, which has faced repeated allegations of inadequate medical care and inhumane treatment. Chajon-Raxon’s death is the third at Delaney Hall in less than a year, following the deaths of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a Salvadoran man, and Jean Wilson Brutus, a Haitian migrant.
Lopez-Cornejo’s family has accused the facility of failing to provide consistent access to his medications, while Brutus died after what Newark Mayor Ras Baraka described as a “medical episode.” ICE has maintained that both deaths were due to natural causes, though Lopez-Cornejo’s medical records reportedly showed no prior cardiac issues.
The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights has since launched an investigation into Delaney Hall. The probe will examine whether staff violated detainees’ civil rights by denying proper medical care.
The death comes on the heels of a “loophole” reversal of an ICE policy
The timing of Chajon-Raxon’s death is particularly notable because it comes just months after ICE reversed a policy requiring it to report deaths within 30 days of a detainee’s release. The Biden administration had implemented that rule in 2021, but the Trump administration rolled it back earlier this year.
Representative Rob Menendez, another New Jersey Democrat who has visited Delaney Hall, called the reversal a “loophole” that allows ICE to avoid accountability. “They can release someone from custody and then claim it has no responsibility to investigate their death or inform Congress and the public,” he told the Associated Press. The policy change has made it harder to track deaths like Chajon-Raxon’s, which might have gone unnoticed if not for Menendez’s disclosure.
Delaney Hall, which reopened in May 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, has become a flashpoint for protests and hunger strikes. According to The Guardian, in late May, at least 300 detainees organized a labor and hunger strike to demand better conditions, including improved medical care and an end to what they described as physical abuse by guards.
Weeks later, women in a separate unit launched their own hunger strike, calling for the release of detainees under 21, those with medical conditions, and mothers. ICE has consistently defended the facility, insisting that detainees receive appropriate care, but the repeated deaths and protests tell a different story.
The pattern raises questions about oversight and accountability in immigration detention
ICE’s refusal to track deaths after release means there could be more cases like Chajon-Raxon’s that never come to light. For families of detainees, the agency’s stance is infuriating. Lopez-Cornejo’s relatives have already spoken out about his lack of consistent medication, and Chajon-Raxon’s death will likely fuel further demands for transparency. The civil rights’ investigation may provide some answers, but advocates say systemic change is needed to prevent more tragedies.
What makes these deaths even more frustrating is the sense that they might have been preventable. If detainees are being released only when their conditions become critical, that suggests a failure in the system long before they leave custody. The fact that Chajon-Raxon was hospitalized for seizure-like activity while still in detention, only to be released days later, raises red flags about whether he received adequate care in the first place.
ICE’s policy of washing its hands of responsibility the moment a detainee is released compounds the problem, making it easier for the agency to avoid scrutiny. The broader context of immigration detention under the current administration adds another layer of concern. More than 50 people have died in ICE custody nationwide since the start of the Trump presidency, and rights groups have repeatedly warned about substandard medical care and dangerous conditions.
Delaney Hall is just one facility, but the deaths there reflect a larger crisis. The hunger strikes and protests are a clear sign that detainees are desperate for change, and the repeated deaths suggest their pleas are being ignored. For now, the fight over Delaney Hall’s future continues. Pushing for its closure, advocates say the facility’s track record makes it unfit to hold detainees. ICE, meanwhile, is sticking to the idea that it bears no responsibility for deaths after release.
(Featured image: Jwswikiuser191)
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