DHS Disputes Delaney Hall Hunger Strike With $30,000 Commissary Sales as Population Fell 14%
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 6
DHS Disputes Delaney Hall Hunger Strike With $30,000 Commissary Sales as Population Fell 14%
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 6
Summary
$30,000 in weekly commissary sales at Newark's Delaney Hall on June 1, up from $11,498 on May 26, led DHS to reject reports of a detainee hunger strike.
The agency said sales nearly tripled even as the detainee population fell from 724 to 621, arguing inmates were still buying food and snacks during the alleged strike period.
DHS called the strike claims a hoax after Democrats including Sen. Andy Kim and Reps. Robert Menendez Jr. and Bonnie Watson-Coleman cited reports of rotten food and dire conditions.
Rep. Herb Conaway Jr., after touring the facility with Rep. Donald Norcross, said he did not see major concerns but still urged ICE to shut Delaney Hall pending a state inspection.
The dispute has become a broader fight over conditions at the Newark ICE center, where other lawmakers have alleged sparse meals, maggots and inadequate medical care — claims DHS denies.