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Chairman calls reports about Delaney Hall "false," cites inspections and commissary data
Summary
Chairman Van Drew defended Delaney Hall during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, calling reports of abuse "false," citing state health inspections and commissary sales that he said undercut hunger-strike claims.
Chairman Van Drew opened the subcommittee hearing by rejecting recent reporting about conditions at Delaney Hall, calling it "false" and saying his own tour showed detainees receive three dietitian-approved meals daily and have access to medical, dental and mental-health care. He told members the New Jersey state health inspectors found the kitchen sanitary and that staff described detainees receiving medications and care they had never before received.
Several Republican witnesses echoed the chairman. Scott Michalski, a retired ICE deputy director, told the panel that DHS data show commissary sales at Delaney Hall "nearly tripled" during the period critics called a hunger strike, citing figures that rose from about $11,500 the week before May 26 to more than $30,000. Michalski said the facility was built for 1,000 beds and that population counts fell from 766 to 521 as claims circulated, which he said undermined allegations of chronic overcrowding. "The facts are all available to you," Michalski said.
