Man detained at Delaney Hall immigration facility dies after 'medical emergency': ICE

NEW JERSEY -- A Salvadoran migrant who was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in New Jersey died following a "medical emergency" over the weekend, federal officials said Monday.

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo had been detained at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead Saturday, the agency said.

The official cause of death is pending, ICE said.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she was "deeply disturbed" by the death.

"My heart is with the individual's loved ones, who deserve answers about what happened," she said in a statement on Monday. "My administration is working with our Congressional delegation to gather all the facts surrounding this death."

The family is demanding justice for the 39-year-old's death and said he had been living in New Jersey for over 20 years.

His mother said on July 31, Lopez-Cornejo called her to say he wasn't feeling well and couldn't feel his face or right hand. Then, his mother said the next morning he felt worse and guards did not act until Lopez-Cornejo collapsed. On August, 1, Lopez-Cornejo's mother said she received a call from University Hospital in Newark that her son had died. His mother said neither ICE or GEO Group contacted his family or his lawyer.

The family said Lopez-Cornejo had not been receiving his proper medication regimen for his diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures.

"When Lopez-Cornejo experienced a medical emergency while in ICE custody, GEO facility staff and medical staff responded immediately and called 911 for emergency medical services. The official cause of death remains pending further medical examination," ICE said in the notice.

Lopez-Cornejo had a 12-year-old daughter.

Community organizations held a vigil for Lopez-Cornejo on Monday evening outside of Delaney Hall.

State and local leaders are demanding an investigation.

"His mother tried to speak out and say give my son the medication, but nobody was answering the phone here at Delaney," Ana Paola Pazmino with Resistencia En Accion NJ said.

Lopez-Cornejo was arrested on June 18 in Plainfield, New Jersey, and had been detained at Delaney Hall "pending removal from the United States pursuant to a reinstatement of his prior removal order," ICE said in a statement.

"While in custody, Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals," ICE said. "ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments," the statement added.

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez said in a video statement that Lopez-Cornejo "complained of difficulties that he was having" on Saturday and "collapsed" at Delaney Hall. CPR was performed and then he was transported to a hospital, Menendez said.

"We asked certain medical questions, which ICE couldn't give us answers to," Menendez said. "We have to request it, and his family has to request it, which we will."

Lopez-Cornejo had been in the U.S. for 20 years, according to Menendez. ICE said he had illegally entered the U.S. on Aug. 13, 2006, and he was removed to El Salvador in October 2006 after a federal judge ordered him removed. He illegally reentered the U.S. at an unknown date, according to ICE.

Sherrill joined Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in renewing their calls for the Delaney Hall facility, which reopened last year as an ICE detention facility, to close.

"In less than a year, yet another family is forced to endure the unimaginable loss of a loved one while in custody at Delaney Hall," Baraka said in a statement, saying Lopez-Cornejo's death "is a heartbreaking reminder of the consequences of a facility that has operated for far too long without adequate oversight, accountability or transparency."

In December 2025, a 41-year-old man from Haiti who was detained at Delaney Hall, Jean Wilson Brutus, died from suspected natural causes a day after entering ICE custody, ICE said at the time.

At least 54 people have died in ICE custody since the start of the second Trump administration, an ABC News tally has found.