Man from El Salvador dies in immigration jail in New Jersey, ICE says

Police try to hold the line as protesters push the fences outside the Delaney Hall detention center during a protest against the transfer of detainees and federal immigration policies, May 30, 2026, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File) 2026-08-04T04:01:53Z A man from El Salvador has died at an immigration jail in New Jersey that has been the target of months of protests over living conditions for people detained there, federal officials said Monday. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, had been held at Delaney Hall in Newark after being arrested June 18, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lopez-Cornejo, whom the government accused of entering the U.S. illegally, died Saturday, the agency said. His official cause of death will be released following further medical examination, according to ICE. Democratic politicians and civil rights groups in New Jersey questioned whether the death was preventable, saying they had little confidence people detained at the 1000-bed facility were receiving proper care. “This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement. “I have visited the facility myself and witnessed these conditions firsthand, so I say this plainly: Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.” ICE said Lopez-Cornejo “received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals” while he was in custody. The death is the second at Delaney Hall since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to tracking by The Associated Press. Another 41-year-old man, Jean Wilson Brutus, a Haitian national, died suddenly after collapsing in December in what a medical examiner ruled was a natural death due to a lung blockage. In all, at least 56 people have died in ICE custody during Trump’s second term. Lopez-Cornejo is the second native of El Salvador, following the September death of Norlan Guzman-Fuentes, who was killed during a sniper attack on an ICE field office in Dallas. (