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ICE Partners with Private Firm to Open Largest East Coast Immigrant Detention Center

The new 1,000-bed facility in Newark, operated by Geo Group, reflects expanded immigration enforcement under President Trump.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers enter a residence looking for a suspect, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Takoma Park, Maryland.
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Three immigrants convicted of a felony or deportable offence in the U.S., left, are lined up for an admission procedure by a security guard at a privately managed Otay Mesa, California detention center February 28, 2006. The foreign nationals will be scheduled for a deportation hearing in a US Immigration court. The blue uniform denotes they are classified as not being violent. Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), based in Nashville, Tennasee, manages the 1000 inmate California detention center it leases from San Diego county. California was the first state in 1987 to implement a program where foreign nationals convicted of a crime were eligible for deportation. The federal issue of not having enough beds or detention centers is scheduled to be rectified in 2006 with increased Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding. Many violators of immigration laws flee before their cases come to trial. It is estimated that some 6.3 million illegal Mexican immigrants live in the US and some 485,000 undocumented Mexican immigrants enter the US annually. The US government estimates 11 million illegal immigrants reside in the US In 2005, San Diego and Imperial counties of southern California deported 40,335 Mexican and Central American immigrants. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, will reopen under a 15-year, $60 million annual contract with private prison company Geo Group.
  • The facility, located near Newark Liberty International Airport, is expected to streamline deportation logistics and support increased arrests under the Trump administration's immigration policies.
  • New Jersey officials and advocacy groups have criticized the reopening, citing concerns over private detention facilities and the lack of legislative action to protect immigrant communities.
  • The reopening follows a federal court ruling that overturned New Jersey's state law barring private companies from contracting with ICE, though the decision is under appeal.
  • The Trump administration is also expanding detention capacity nationwide, including additional beds at private facilities and potential use of military bases for temporary immigrant housing.