Family of a Man Who Died in ICE Custody at Delaney Hall Demands an Independent Investigation, Saying He Went Without His Medication

At a news conference on Aug. 4, 2026, the family of Edwin Jeovanny López Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran man who died on Aug. 1 after a medical episode at the privately run Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark, called for an independent state investigation, the release of his medical records by ICE and facility operator GEO Group, and the closure of the facility. His mother said he had been prescribed medication for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures and questioned whether he received it during more than six weeks in custody. He was detained in Plainfield, N.J., on June 18. ICE said his cause of death was pending further review; Sen. Andy Kim said later that night that he died of a heart attack and cardiac arrest, and that López Cornejo already had a pending habeas case seeking release on medical grounds.

Deaths in immigration detention are reviewed internally by the agency that holds the person, which is why families and state officials are pressing for outside review. Two members of Congress said at the news conference and through a spokesperson that detainees and families have separately reported being denied medication at the facility. He is the second person to die after being held at Delaney Hall since it reopened in May 2025.

ICE says it provides “comprehensive medical care” at the facility and that López Cornejo “received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals.” New Jersey’s attorney general’s office said it “can neither confirm nor deny an investigation at this time.” The allegations of medical neglect are unproven.