ICE announces plans to reopen Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed immigration detention center in Newark, making it the largest facility of its kind on the East Coast amid a substantial $900 million contract with private prison operator GEO Group.
Key Takeaways
- ICE is reopening Delaney Hall in Newark as the largest immigration detention center on the East Coast with 1,000 beds, owned by private prison operator GEO Group.
- The facility represents a $900 million investment through a 15-year contract worth $60 million annually, following Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
- New Jersey has legislation restricting ICE detention centers, but parts were deemed unconstitutional in 2023, allowing this reopening despite state opposition.
- GEO Group sued New Jersey citing the Constitution’s supremacy clause, highlighting tension between federal immigration enforcement and state policies.
- The strategic location near Newark Liberty International Airport aids in processing and removal operations for detainees.
Major Expansion of Immigration Detention Capacity
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is set to reopen Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey this spring, establishing what will become the largest immigration detention facility on the East Coast. With a capacity of 1,000 beds, this facility will significantly expand ICE’s detention capabilities in the region. The detention center, which previously housed detainees from 2011 to 2017, sits adjacent to the Essex County jail and is strategically positioned near Newark Liberty International Airport to facilitate deportation operations. “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”, Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello emphasized.
This reopening marks the first detention center to commence operations under the current Trump administration, which has prioritized strict immigration enforcement measures. The facility will become operational as ICE works to fulfill its mandate of detaining and processing individuals in the country illegally. Currently, New Jersey has only one active immigration detention center in Elizabeth with a 270-person capacity, while neighboring New York has three facilities with a combined 600-bed capacity.
ICE is set to reopen a detention facility in Newark that will nearly double the agency’s capacity to detain people in the NYC region.
Prison contractor The GEO Group said the 1,000 bed facility would open this spring, and that the company had signed a 15-year contract with ICE… pic.twitter.com/opbERHJBZN
— US Ship of State (@US_ShipOfState) February 28, 2025
Private Prison Industry’s Significant Investment
The Delaney Hall facility is owned by GEO Group, a major private prison corporation that has secured a substantial contract with ICE for its operation. According to reports, this agreement is valued at $60 million annually over a 15-year period, totaling approximately $900 million. This represents one of the largest investments in immigration detention infrastructure in recent years and signals the private sector’s growing role in federal immigration enforcement operations.
GEO Group CEO David Donahue has referenced the “scale of opportunity” presented by the current administration’s immigration policies. The private prison operator stands to benefit significantly from the enforcement priorities established by the Trump administration, which include increased detention of illegal immigrants prior to deportation proceedings. This partnership highlights the expanding role of private corporations in what has traditionally been a government function.
Legal Battles Between Federal Authority and State Restrictions
The reopening of Delaney Hall comes amid ongoing legal conflicts between federal immigration authorities and New Jersey state law. In 2021, New Jersey enacted legislation prohibiting ICE from establishing new immigrant-specific detention facilities or expanding existing ones within the state. However, portions of this law were deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge in 2023, creating a legal pathway for this facility’s reactivation despite state opposition.
GEO Group took direct legal action against New Jersey in 2024, filing a lawsuit that cited the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which establishes that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state laws. This legal challenge underscores the tension between state efforts to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and the federal government’s authority to implement national immigration policy. The reopening of Delaney Hall represents a significant victory for federal enforcement priorities.
Regional Impact and Operational Significance
When fully operational, Delaney Hall will surpass Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center, which currently holds just over 1,000 individuals, as the region’s largest immigration detention facility. The strategic location of the Newark facility provides operational advantages for ICE, particularly its proximity to a major international airport. This location will facilitate more efficient transportation for deportation flights and transfer of detainees within the ICE detention system.
The increased detention capacity represents a significant shift in the regional approach to immigration enforcement. With existing facilities in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania already operating at near capacity, the addition of Delaney Hall’s 1,000 beds substantially expands ICE’s ability to detain individuals facing deportation proceedings. This expansion aligns with the administration’s stated goals of increasing enforcement actions against individuals in the country illegally.
Sources:
ICE to open East Coast’s largest federal immigration detention center in Newark
ICE signs $1 billion contract with private firm for New Jersey detention center
ICE Signs $1B Deal to Reopen N.J. Detention Center
