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Subcommittee chair rejects accounts of abuse at Delaney Hall, cites inspections and visits
Summary
The subcommittee chair called claims of abuse at Delaney Hall "false," cited state health inspections and his own visit, and blamed protesters for creating dangerous conditions outside the facility.
The chair of the subcommittee opened the hearing by disputing recent reports about conditions at Delaney Hall, saying the narrative that the facility is "a place of cruelty" is "false" and "not accurate." He described his own unannounced visit, said detainees receive three meals a day and medical, dental and mental-health care, and noted a New Jersey state health inspection found the kitchen sanitary and free of vermin.
The chair emphasized that facility staff include local Newark residents and said protests outside the center had turned violent, citing arrests and incidents that he said endangered both staff and protesters. He also pointed to DHS data the hearing referenced about commissary purchases increasing during the period activists described as a hunger strike, arguing the purchase spike undercuts the claim detainees were "starving." The chair yielded to the ranking member for her opening but said he would include all opening statements in the record for further review.
