2nd Delaney Hall detainee death in a year: Family demands answers
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Family members and loved ones are demanding justice after a man from El Salvador died at the Delaney Hall ICE facility over the weekend and they say it was preventable.
The family of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo says the 39-year-old dad had been in the U.S. for 20 years. But the Department of Homeland Security says he was undocumented.
He was picked up on June 18 of this year in his hometown of Plainfield.
Immigration advocates say that Lopez-Cornejo told his mother on Friday that he hadn't been receiving his proper medication for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures.
Federal officials say staff responded immediately after discovering Lopez-Cornejo had a medical emergency and called 911.
His family says they did not act until he collapsed.
Lopez-Cornejo's mother said she received a call from the hospital Saturday night that Lopez-Cornejo had died.
His family claims that medical negligence was what caused his death.
"He had high blood pressure, he had diabetes, and they refused to give him his medication, and they brushed off his complaining," said Lopez-Cornejo's 12-year-old daughter. "They know they're guilty, but they want to lie about it so they don't feel guilty."
Maria Cornejo, Lopez-Cornejo's mother, recalled how her son told her he felt half his face and arm were numb just a day before he was pronounced dead.
"If he told the doctor he couldn't feel half of his face and his arm, why wouldn't the doctor order him to go to the hospital?" Maria said.
Lopez-Cornejo's brother said he'd often tell him how difficult it was even to get Tylenol, which required a formal application before he could receive it.
The family is demanding accountability for Lopez-Cornejo's death, the release of all medical records from GEO Group and ICE, and the closure of the detention center and the release of detainees.
The family is adamant that they were told by the hospital that by the time Lopez-Cornejo arrived there on Saturday, his heart was no longer beating.
Democratic politicians and civil rights groups in New Jersey also questioned whether the death was preventable, saying they had little confidence people detained at the 1,000-bed facility were receiving proper care.
Lopez-Cornejo is the second migrant to die at Delaney Hall in less than a year after Jean Wilson Brutus died in December 2025.
People held at the Newark facility have asked for improved living conditions and better medical care, as they say some are being denied medication. Earlier this year, some launched a hunger strike, according to Cosecha, an immigrant advocacy group.
The facility has also been a key flashpoint for protests against Trump's immigration crackdown, with demonstrators trying to block vehicles from entering or leaving the facility.
DHS issued the following statement after Lopez-Cornejo's death:
"ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout their stay."
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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