A Salvadoran man, Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, who was being held at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, has died, according to federal officials. Lopez-Cornejo was pronounced dead on Saturday by medical workers at University Hospital in Newark.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that Lopez-Cornejo experienced a medical emergency while in ICE custody and that facility staff and medical staff responded immediately and called 911 for emergency medical services.

Background

Lopez-Cornejo, who had been arrested on June 18 in Plainfield, New Jersey, for illegally entering the US, is the second known death at Delaney Hall since it opened last May. The privately owned facility has been the focus of controversy over accusations of inhumane conditions for detainees.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill expressed her condolences for the loss and stated that her administration is working to gather all the facts surrounding the death. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka denounced the latest death as a reminder of the consequences of a facility that has operated without adequate oversight, accountability, or transparency.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ) demanded accountability from ICE and called for the immediate closure of Delaney Hall. The facility has been the subject of protests and lawsuits, including a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey attorney general in June, urging a court to close the facility until the state could inspect it over allegations of inhumane conditions.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.