By Marion Filler and Kevin Coughlin
Every six days during President Trump’s second term, another person dies in ICE custody.
That’s the grim average, according to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who joined colleagues Tuesday in Morristown to denounce federal immigration enforcement tactics and call for closure of Delaney Hall and other detention centers they described as profit-driven institutions marked by rancid food, unsanitary conditions, indecent treatment and a lethal lack of medical care.
“Taxpayer dollars are being used by ICE and Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine to brutalize and kill American citizens and law-abiding immigrant families,” Jeffries said at Calvary Baptist Church, following a private roundtable with families affected by Trump’s immigration policies.
“Every American should care because if our government is able to strip individuals of due process, equal protection, and treat them in such a way that it could cost them their lives, then our government can do that to every single one of us,” said Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-11th Dist.).
Mejia invited Jeffries, Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8th Dist.) and officials from Morristown, Morris Township and Dover to the discussion and press conference.
Since the start of the second Trump administration, three people have died at Delaney Hall in Newark and 55 have died in ICE detention centers nationwide, Jeffries said.
Menendez cited the case of 41-year-old Salvadoran Edwin López-Cornejo. Arrested in Plainfield in June, he died in Delaney Hall on Aug. 1. Lopez-Cornejo’s family has accused the facility of medical negligence. His child is a U.S. citizen.
“His 12‑year‑old daughter will not have her father. That’s a reality that every American has to grapple with,” said Menendez.
The lawmaker accused the Trump administration of lying that ICE agents would capture and deport only “the worst of the worst” undocumented criminals. Instead, hard-working members of the community are being swept up. Delaney Hall is a reminder that “no one is safe in Trump’s America,” Menendez said.
In a statement, ICE asserted: “While in custody, Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals.”
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis responded to Morristown Green’s request for comment by listing five New Jersey detainees with convictions ranging from terroristic threats to child molestation, rape and homicide.
Bis added:
“These types of smears by sanctuary politicians are contributing to our ICE law enforcement officers facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats. Our ICE officers are heroes who put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists from American communities. Democrats must stop demonizing our officers for simply enforcing our nation’s laws.”
‘THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE IN THERE SUFFERING’
Mejia introduced Dona Margarita Cielo Balbuena of Dover, who spent two months in harsh conditions at the Elizabeth Detention Center after what Balbuena described as a violent arrest.
“When I went to visit Doña Margarita, in an instant I could see that she was unwell,” said Mejia, who represents Greater Morristown.
Mejia said she subsequently learned that Balbuena, a diabetic, was receiving only one-fourth of her required medication, effectively handing her a “death sentence.” Mejia said she lobbied Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to rectify the situation.
Balbuena, a diminutive figure who barely cleared the podium, spoke with emotion as she described the May 23 arrest involving her husband, son and herself.
“On the 23rd of May, I suffered pepper gas, great terror, and physical abuse at the hands of immigration agents,” Balbuena said through an interpreter.
She said agents blocked the street and approached the family’s truck aggressively.
“I didn’t know who they were. They had their faces blocked with masks and dark glasses. They didn’t identify themselves as immigration agents,” she said.
Balbuena said agents sprayed the family with pepper gas. Her adult son, an American citizen, demanded to see a judicial warrant but was ignored, she said. Her husband, who was recovering from back surgery, was dragged from the truck screaming in pain and jumped by four agents.
“I suffered two months of detention in the Elizabeth Detention Center. They gave us spoiled milk, rotten, spoiled food that smelled bad,” said Balbuena, who has lived in the United States since 1989 and, along with her husband, is a homeowner and business owner.
Her voice broke as she added: “There are still people in there who are suffering.”
ICE RESPONSE
On Wednesday a DHS spokesperson said ICE agents with warrants arrested Margarita Cielo-Balbuena and her husband, Filemon Ruiz-Cielo, “criminal illegal aliens from Mexico,” in a targeted operation in Dover on May 23.
According to DHS, Balbuena has a conviction for grand larceny and her husband’s criminal history includes arrests for possession of cocaine, simple assault, and failure to report an accident.
During a vehicle stop, ICE officers approached their vehicle, the statement said, “and ordered Ruiz to exit the vehicle. He refused to follow lawful orders and physically assaulted ICE law enforcement officers and resisted arrest. ICE law enforcement officers used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest.
“Each alien entered the U.S. at an unknown date and place without inspection. All their claims will be heard before an immigration judge and both illegal aliens will receive full due process. To be clear, work authorization does NOT give someone legal status to be in our country.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
DHS said state and local inspectors will continue to be granted access to Delaney Hall “where appropriate.” The department said that, as of May 29, deaths in ICE custody under the Trump administration represented 0.008 percent of the detained population, and maintained that standards of care have remained high as detention capacity has expanded.
“All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” DHS said. “In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”
DHS said medical services include medical, dental and mental health care when available, along with access to appointments and 24-hour emergency care. The department said ICE facilities are regularly audited and inspected by outside agencies. It did not name the outside agencies.
DHS also said ICE has procedures for notifying next of kin, consulates, Congress and the public about deaths in custody, and for reviewing and reporting those deaths.
“Being in detention is a choice,” DHS said. “We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”
‘VIOLENTLY OUT OF CONTROL’
Menendez noted that Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center are operated by GEO Group, one of several private, for-profit companies receiving billions of federal dollars to operate immigration detention facilities. He pointed to the company’s quarterly reports as evidence of its profits.
“The more inhumane behavior, I think it’s fair to say, the greater the profit, and that’s part of the reality that I think we’ve seen firsthand in Delaney Hall,” Jeffries said. “It should be shut down.”
He called conditions at ICE detention centers “unacceptable, unconstitutional and un-American.”
The legislator also referenced Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, U.S. citizens shot dead by ICE agents in Minneapolis during protests in January.
“ICE is completely and totally and violently out of control and needs to be reined in in the most dramatic way possible, and that is our intention,” said Jeffries, who represents New York’s 8th District.
Jeffries acknowledged problems with the nation’s immigration system.
“We also recognize that immigration and the system in this country is broken, and it needs to be fixed,” Jeffries said. “And we believe it needs to be fixed in a comprehensive and bipartisan way for the good of everyone in this country.”
This story has been updated with comments from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Hakeem Jeffries has described ICE as “violently out of control” and called for fairer, more humane immigration enforcement. Vincent Matrisciano’s published position takes a different approach: controlled immigration, stronger border security and enforcement, along with a legal pathway for qualified undocumented immigrants. His plan is built around accountability, documentation and enforcement rather than treating the issue as an all-or-nothing choice. For transparency, I’m helping with his campaign and sharing this as context on where he stands.
Jerry, for some reason I didn’t see your comment until now. Yup, a lot of illegals never bother to learn our language. But do they have to? Governments encourage them not to by printing all documents in both languages, and then we get the ol’ “press 1 (or 2!) for English” when we call most large businesses.
A lot of folks on this site (thankfully not all) favor illegals over citizens, overlooking the fact their very first act in this country is to break our laws.
The open border types have a come-one-come-all attitude. No background checks, no seeing if they can support themselves, if they are pregnant, and no concern about how they ignored our laws.
And then there is the dilution of our culture, the lack of assimilation, use of our housing, medical care, and the violent crimes committed by illegals.
The good news is that Trump, while weak on this, has two more years. A lot more illegals will be kicked out of the country.
I am tired of reading about the so-called “illegals” whom ICE is targeting. The former should be referred to as “undocumented immigrants,” I believe. Some undocumented immigrants whom ICE has detained have been involved in the rather long and cumbersome process of becoming U.S. citizens and haven’t received responses from the authorities; some have not, but they are often hard-working people who contribute to the U.S. economy, refrain from conducting criminal acts, and add to the diversity in this nation. Yes, some haven’t learned to speak English even after living in the U.S. for quite a while – perhaps they are older people surrounded by others who continue to speak in their native languages or they’ve been busy working and taking care of their families and haven’t had time to take English lessons – does that make them less acceptable than those of us for whom English is our native language? In addition to all of the above, I am offended by the self-righteousness that permeates many of the comments posted on morristowngreen.com by a few people. After all, the only non-immigrants in the U.S. are the Indigenous folks, and they’ve been treated very unfairly since the 1600s. One of my ancestors allegedly traveled from England to what is now the U.S. on the “Hector,” a ship that arrived here shortly after the “Mayflower” did, but he was a white male who had all sorts of privileges (as well as some challenges, of course) from the get-go. I can only hope that he treated the Indigenous peoples well, but that information is unavailable. Okay, it’s now time for me to apply some duct tape to my typing fingers!!
Being anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is not inherently “anti-American,” regardless of political party. Questioning government agencies, law enforcement tactics, general policy or federal spending is a standard part of American political discourse. Duh!
For example,
Dissent and Debate: Criticizing a federal agency protected by free speech does not equate to opposing the nation itself.
Focus on Governance: Disagreements can often center on management, constitutional overreach, due process, or civil liberties rather than the concept of national borders.
Historical Context: ICE is a relatively modern agency, created in 2003 under the Homeland Security Act, meaning criticism of its specific structure or operations does not challenge foundational U.S. institutions.
MoMo!!! Yes, it is Anti-American. They are the ones enforcing the law against illegals. You are confusing that with the few abuses. According to your logic you would be anti-Samsung because some of their products don’t work right of of the box.
As a Trumper you should know that most anti-ICE types are using the few published abuses to mask that they are really against any kind of enforcement. They prioritize illegals over Americans. I hope this clears up your confusion.
Jeff!! Being anti-ICE is hardly “anti-American.” And you don’t get to decide what’s un-American. What can I say, Trumpers gonna Trump.
“Balbuena, who has lived in the United States since 1989”
And still doesn’t speak English…
I’m grateful to Rep. Analilia Mejía and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for coming to Morristown and speaking openly about what is happening in our immigrant communities and in ICE detention centers.
This is not an abstract issue to me. These are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and members of our community.
We can believe that our immigration system needs to be fixed while also believing that every person deserves dignity, humane treatment, due process, and access to proper medical care.
And I keep coming back to this question: What happens when we decide that someone’s contribution to America is valuable, but their rights and humanity are negotiable?
What happens to people in detention should concern all of us. Government power needs accountability, especially when people’s lives are at stake.
Thank you to Rep. Mejía and Leader Jeffries for showing up, listening to families, and giving a voice to people who are often afraid to speak for themselves.
This is our community. We should care about what happens to the people in it.
Chris, as with any large scale operation there are going to be things that shouldn’t happen, but do. It’s unfortunate, but that’s reality.
As far as the illegals go, this stuff wouldn’t have happened to them if they had followed the law. Of course some of the blame goes to Joe Biden, former Border Czar Harris, and the folks who put them in office.
Sorry, but my sympathies are for the many victims of victims of violent crimes committed by people who have no business being here.
ICE is just doing its totally normal job. Good work right Jeff?
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has faced severe criticism from human rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union for aggressive tactics, including widespread racial profiling, conducting raids near sensitive areas like schools, using excessive physical force during arrests, and detaining U.S. citizens by mistake.
Enforcement Tactics and Community Impact
– Racial Profiling: Civil rights reports document hundreds of incidents where agents appeared to target individuals based primarily on race or ethnicity rather than specific evidence.
– Sensitive Locations: Agents have conducted operations near schools, hospitals, and churches, leading to community fear and school lockdowns.
– Aggressive Physical Force: Documentation highlights frequent use of chemical irritants, takedowns, and neck restraints during interior enforcement actions.
Detention and Due Process Concerns
– Inhumane Conditions: Detainees have reported severe medical neglect, overcrowding, and physical mistreatment inside holding facilities.
– Detention of Citizens: U.S. citizens have occasionally been mistakenly detained or subjected to aggressive stops demanding proof of status.
– Deceptive Ruses: Agents have occasionally used ruses, such as pretending to be local police or probation officers, to gain access to homes.
Thank you, everyone at ICE, for enforcing our laws. The fact that there are some anti-Americans who are against you isn’t stopping you from doing your job. Keep up the good work!
ICE=Storm Troopers, Brown Shirts,
Gestapo, KKK, Street thugs…