New Jersey is suing the GEO Group, the company operating Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, seeking full access for state health inspectors amid concerns about conditions inside the facility.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the state deserves transparency about conditions at the detention center.
"If the GEO Group — with a $1 billion government contract — has nothing to hide and the conditions inside Delaney Hall are as safe and sanitary as this private corporation and the Trump administration claim, then there is no legitimate reason why my health inspectors are being kept from full access throughout the building," Sherrill said.
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The Department of Homeland Security has defended conditions at the facility, saying detainees are provided basic necessities, including beds, clean water, health care and three meals a day.
Some detainees have launched a hunger strike to protest conditions inside the center.
According to the state, Department of Health inspectors were allowed to conduct a limited inspection of Delaney Hall but were denied access to key areas, including the medical unit, sleeping quarters and bathing and toileting facilities. The state said inspectors have not been allowed to return for a full inspection.
The lawsuit alleges GEO Group violated state law by refusing to provide full access to Department of Health inspectors. New Jersey is also seeking an expedited injunction that would require the company to allow inspectors to examine the entire facility.
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The legal action comes after a week of protests outside Delaney Hall.
Dozens of people were arrested after authorities said they ignored orders to disperse following a 9 p.m. curfew imposed because of escalating tensions near the facility. Officials said some protesters charged law enforcement officers, threw projectiles and set a fire in the street.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has blamed New Jersey leaders for not doing more to prevent violence outside the detention center.
