ICE Set to Reopen Massive Illegal Alien Detention Center in Deep Blue State [WATCH]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced plans to reopen Delaney Hall, a federal immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey.

With a capacity of 1,000 beds, it will be the largest facility of its kind on the East Coast and the first detention center to open under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Newark New JerseyMayor @rasjbaraka doesn’t want ICE detention center in his sanctuary city

Why is this Mayor and someone running for Governor so hell bent on protecting illegals who aren’t supposed to be here? pic.twitter.com/NvLk7TZ7BF

— Wake Up NJ New Jersey (@wakeupnj) February 28, 2025

Elon Musk Called This Financial News ‘Terrifying’

Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello confirmed the reopening in a statement on Thursday, emphasizing the facility’s strategic location.

“The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain, and remove illegal aliens from our communities,” Vitello said.

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The reopening aligns with Trump’s commitment to stricter immigration enforcement and increased deportations.

ICE has prioritized expanding detention capacity to accommodate a growing number of detainees under the administration’s intensified enforcement measures.

Delaney Hall, owned by private prison company GEO Group, previously housed immigrant detainees from 2011 to 2017. The facility is adjacent to the Essex County jail.

GEO Group disclosed the new contract with ICE during an earnings call on Thursday, stating that it expects the center to be operational by the end of June, according to the New Jersey Monitor.

Under the terms of the agreement, ICE will pay GEO Group $60 million annually for the next 15 years, totaling $900 million over the duration of the contract.

GEO Group CEO David Donahue highlighted the expansion of federal immigration enforcement as a key factor in the contract’s significance.

“Trump’s commitment to mass deportations would widen the scale of opportunity for the private prison company,” Donahue said.

New Jersey has had a law in place since 2021 that prohibits ICE from establishing new immigrant detention centers within the state.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the measure into law as part of broader efforts to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

However, in 2023, a federal judge ruled that parts of the law were unconstitutional.

In 2024, GEO Group sued New Jersey to challenge the statute, arguing that the state law violates the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which establishes federal law as overriding state regulations.

Despite the legal battle, ICE has proceeded with reopening Delaney Hall.

The decision marks a significant expansion of detention capacity in a state where resistance to federal immigration enforcement has been strong.

New Jersey currently has one active immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, which can hold up to 270 individuals.

In neighboring New York, three detention centers are operational in Buffalo, Orange County, and Clinton County, with a combined capacity of 600 beds, according to The City.

Pennsylvania currently holds the highest-capacity immigration detention center in the region.

The Moshannon Valley Processing Center, which can accommodate just over 1,000 detainees, had been the largest until Delaney Hall’s reopening.

With the Trump administration moving forward with expanded immigration enforcement, the reopening of Delaney Hall marks a key development in federal detention policies.

The facility’s reopening is expected to contribute significantly to ICE’s ability to process and deport illegal immigrants as part of the administration’s broader strategy.

The legal battle over New Jersey’s attempts to restrict federal immigration enforcement will likely continue, but for now, ICE is moving ahead with its plan to expand detention capacity in the region.

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