(AFP) – The US state of New Jersey on Tuesday sued the private prison company that runs a migrant detention center where protesters have rallied for several days over allegedly poor conditions at the jail. The lawsuit against GEO Group demands that local health authorities be allowed full access to Delaney Hall, one of many facilities holding people rounded up in President Donald Trump’s mass deportation sweep.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that there is “no legitimate reason” to block health inspectors from the facility if conditions “are as safe and as sanitary as this private corporation and the Trump administration claim.” Since last week, protesters have swarmed the 1,000-bed jail in Newark, which is used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and has faced allegations of poor treatment of detainees in the past.
The latest unrest was triggered by a hunger and work strike launched by detainees at Delaney Hall over their living conditions. A number of Democratic lawmakers have backed the strike. According to a press release from Sherrill’s office, detainees have complained of undrinkable water, a lack of medical attention, and the spread of the flu and Covid-19 within the facility.
Local authorities have issued a nighttime curfew around Delaney Hall in response to the recent protests, which have seen police fire tear gas to disperse activists.
© 2024 AFP
