Gothamist Finds 70% of 10,300 Delaney Hall Detainees Had No Criminal History
Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Jun 3
Gothamist Finds 70% of 10,300 Delaney Hall Detainees Had No Criminal History
3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Jun 3
Summary
More than 70% of the 10,300 people held at Delaney Hall from May 2025 to March 10, 2026 had no criminal history, Gothamist found from ICE data, undercutting DHS claims that the Newark facility mainly holds violent offenders.
Only 12% had criminal convictions and 18% had pending charges, versus nationwide ICE figures showing 43% with no criminal history, 28% with convictions and 29% with pending charges.
Delaney Hall has stayed near its 1,000-bed capacity—845 detainees as of March 10—and has become a flashpoint as detainees mounted labor and hunger strikes over conditions.
Nearly 60% of detainees were later transferred to other ICE centers, largely in the South, before deportation; 22% remained in custody, 9% were released, and just 3% were deported directly from Delaney Hall.
Most detainees were men from Latin America or the Caribbean, 63.2% were arrested in New Jersey, and the median stay was 9.6 days, though one in five stayed more than 30 days.