Key facts
- Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a 41-year-old immigrant from El Salvador, died on Saturday at the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey.
- This is the 22nd death in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this year.
- Lopez-Cornejo's family alleges he was denied necessary medication for underlying health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and epilepsy.
- ICE maintains that Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and that staff responded immediately to his medical emergency.
- New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill reported facing obstruction in attempts to conduct a health inspection of the facility.
The family of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, an immigrant from El Salvador who died on Saturday while detained at the Delaney Hall immigration jail in Newark, New Jersey, has alleged medical negligence and demanded an independent investigation. His death marks the 22nd fatality in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this year and the second at Delaney Hall since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term. Lopez-Cornejo's family stated he suffered from underlying health conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, and epilepsy, and relied on medications which they claim he was denied. His mother reported he lost feeling in half his face and arm the day before his death. ICE, however, stated that Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and that facility staff responded immediately to his medical emergency, with the official cause of death pending further examination. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill indicated her administration faces obstruction in its efforts to conduct a full health inspection of the facility, which is owned by private prison contractor GEO Group. Rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about medical care and living conditions in U.S. immigration detention facilities.