Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, has died after being held at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Lopez-Cornejo died on August 1 following an unspecified medical emergency and was pronounced dead at University Hospital.
Lopez-Cornejo first arrived in the United States in 2006 and was arrested by ICE agents in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18. He was being held at the private facility to await deportation. He is the 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year.
This is the second death at Delaney Hall in eight months, leading to demands for answers and calls to close the facility. People held at the Newark facility have previously requested improved living conditions and better medical care, alleging that some detainees are being denied medication.