New Jersey's governor is demanding answers after learning a man died while being held at an immigration detention center in Newark.
“This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo, 41, suffered a medical emergency Saturday at Delaney Hall, where he had been detained since mid-June.
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According to ICE, staff called 911, and emergency responders took Lopez-Cornejo to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
In a video posted online, Lopez-Cornejo's mother blamed medical neglect for her son's death, questioning whether he received medication for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures.
“On Friday, my son called and said he wasn't feeling well and that part of his face and his right hand had gone numb,” Maria Cornejo said in Spanish in the video. “Unfortunately, I am the one who has lost my son.”
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Lopez-Cornejo leaves behind a daughter.
“My son was a person with no vices,” his mother said. “Now I’ve lost him at the hands of immigration.”
ICE said Lopez-Cornejo was deported to El Salvador in 2006 before returning to the United States on an unknown date. His family said he was arrested while on his way to work.
Lopez-Cornejo is the second detainee to die at Delaney Hall in less than a year.
An ongoing Scripps News investigation called ICE Inc. found complaints of delayed medical care, unsanitary conditions, overcrowding and inadequate food at the facility.
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A spokesperson for the GEO Group, which owns and operates Delaney Hall, referred questions to ICE. The company has previously defended conditions at the facility and disputed allegations of inadequate care.
ICE said in a statement that all people in its custody have access to comprehensive medical care, including emergency medical services.
Lopez-Cornejo is the 56th migrant to die in ICE custody since President Donald Trump began his second term and launched an immigration crackdown aimed at detaining and deporting millions of people living in the United States without legal authorization.
