Despite Mounting Evidence of Systemic Failure, Trump’s Border Czar Doubles Down on Controversial Facility
Rising unrest.
The Newark immigration detention facility at the heart of explosive protests isn’t budging, border czar Tom Homan declared this week, even as Democratic leaders ramped up pressure to shut it down. Homan, who personally toured the Delaney Hall site over the weekend, said the facility is staying open no matter how loud the opposition gets.
“The governor keeps saying she’s going to keep raising hell until this facility shuts down. Well, I’ve got news for the governor – that facility isn’t going anywhere,” he said. According to Fox News, his visit included an unannounced cafeteria stop where he loaded his tray with the same meal detainees were eating, claiming the food was perfectly fine.
This latest showdown follows weeks of escalating unrest outside Delaney Hall, where protesters have clashed with law enforcement over allegations of inhumane conditions inside. Detainees at the facility, which is operated by private prison company GEO Group, published an open letter describing their treatment as “torture” and accusing staff of denying them medical care and adequate food.
Homan has labelled the detainees’ allegations ‘false’
“We feel vulnerable and, in a way, kidnapped – detained without justification – not to mention that we are being tortured physically and psychologically due to the poor food resources provided in these detention centers,” the letter read. The Department of Homeland Security quickly pushed back, releasing sample menus that included chicken fajitas and Salisbury steak to counter the claims.
Homan doubled down on those denials, calling the allegations “false” and blaming Democratic lawmakers for fueling the chaos. “We’ve got to remember what started all this. You’ve got Democratic lawmakers from Memorial Day making false allegations about the facility, about the food, the medical care, hunger strikes,” he said.
His surprise weekend visit included tours of the medical unit, outdoor recreation areas, and the cafeteria where he ate spaghetti and meat sauce alongside detainees. “I made sure my tray equaled their tray. I had spaghetti and meat sauce,” he said, adding that he had green beans, bread and rolls, drinks and dessert. “The food was good. It’s all a false premise,” Homan insisted.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, however, has called the reported conditions “deeply disturbing” and vowed to keep pushing for Delaney Hall’s closure. “I have long opposed private detention facilities and advocated against them. I will continue to call for the closure of Delaney Hall because of reports like these,” she said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed those calls, demanding the facility be “shut down” entirely. But Homan made it clear those demands are falling on deaf ears, emphasizing that many detainees are being held under federal law and cannot be released.
Behind the scenes, the battle has taken on a legal dimension that goes beyond immigration policy
NBC News reports that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has spent the past year trying to force GEO Group out of the facility, arguing the company never obtained proper permits when it reopened the site last year. The city is now expanding its lawsuit against GEO Group to include health and safety violations as additional grounds for closure.
“This is not a federal facility, these are not federal grounds; it’s a private facility, private workers, and they are subject to state and municipal laws,” Baraka said. His administration isn’t alone in targeting the company. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport filed a separate lawsuit accusing GEO Group of blocking state health inspectors from verifying conditions inside the facility.
GEO Group has dismissed the allegations as “baseless accusations” and part of what it calls a “coordinated, politically motivated campaign” to dismantle ICE detention operations. The company insists its facilities meet all federal standards, with around-the-clock medical care, dietitian-approved meals, and regular monitoring by ICE personnel.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the lawsuits “frivolous,” adding that Delaney Hall complies with all state and local regulations. “All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the spokesperson said.
The protests have grown increasingly volatile
After demonstrators set tires and chairs on fire and hurled makeshift projectiles, Newark implemented a curfew around Delaney Hall and established designated protest zones. Governor Sherrill deployed state police to maintain order, citing public safety concerns.
While tensions appeared to ease slightly earlier this week, with no new arrests reported on June 1 night, the underlying conflict shows no signs of resolution. Mayor Baraka suggested the curfew might be lifted soon, but the legal and political battles are just heating up.
For now, Delaney Hall remains operational, and Homan’s defiant stance suggests it will stay that way. His personal verification of conditions inside the facility seems designed to undercut the detainees’ claims, but the open letter’s vivid descriptions of “psychological torture” continue to fuel outrage.
(Featured image: Gage Skidmore)
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