Edwin Lopez-Cornejo

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, died on August 1st at a Newark hospital after experiencing a medical emergency while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. He had been arrested by ICE agents in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18th and was being held at the Delaney Hall detention center. This marks the second death at Delaney Hall in less than a year and the 22nd death in ICE custody nationwide this year, according to agency data. Lopez-Cornejo's death has prompted calls to close the facility and demands for answers regarding the circumstances of his passing. He originally came to the U.S. in 2006. The Delaney Hall detention center has been the site of ongoing protests against federal immigration policies.