A new report from New Jersey health inspectors found poor employee hygiene, unclean surfaces and food stored at unsafe temperatures at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark. The regulators also said the kitchen is overseen by a person without adequate knowledge of food safety principles.
The New Jersey Department of Health on Monday released its report from the May 28 inspection of Delaney Hall. State Health Commissioner Raynard Washington said his department has “real concerns” about how the detention center’s kitchen is operated. He also stressed that his inspectors need access to the whole facility — not just food service areas.
"Without complete access to the facility to conduct a proper health inspection under our authority under the law, it is impossible to form an accurate assessment and make a reliable evaluation about the health conditions,” Washington said in a statement. “We take our mission to safeguard the health and well-being of everyone in this state seriously, and we will continue to do everything in our power — including exercising our legal authority — to do so.”
GEO Group, the private company that operates Delaney Hall under a 15-year, $1 billion contract, deferred comment to ICE, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security. A DHS spokesperson said federal authorities would continue to grand state and local inspectors access "where appropriate."
State health inspectors arrived at Delaney Hall on May 27 intending to conduct a full inspection of the facility — including living quarters, medical areas and the HVAC system — but were denied entry. They returned the next day and were let in, but were only allowed to see food service areas.
Inspectors noted the kitchen was fully equipped, there were halal and kosher meal options for detainees with religious exemptions and that food deliveries and pest control both happen weekly.
“Overall sanitation and physical condition of the production kitchen and warehousing areas were observed to be satisfactory and free from signs of rodent or vermin activity at the time of this inspection,” the report reads. The DHS spokesperson also noted the report found the overall condition satisfactory.
But inspectors found kitchen staff failed to demonstrate adequate knowledge of food temperature requirements, and there was evidence of food being improperly cooled or reheated. The person in charge of the kitchen did not have “adequate active managerial control and oversight of food employees” according to the report.
Inspectors cited seven specific violations in their report, including the food temperature concerns. Other violations included garbage cans fully covered during food plating, resulting in staff having to handle the garbage cans during food service. Cases of soda were found stored in a closet alongside chemicals.
The state findings raise similar concerns to those highlighted by ICE’s own internal inspection of Delaney Hall last year. That inspection, conducted in August, found “cold” potato salad being served at 81 degrees Fahrenheit and freezers that were not functioning properly.
Delaney Hall detainees have complained of poor food quality since the facility reopened last year. Lawyers for detainees have noted in legal briefs that their clients appear malnourished. Hundreds of detainees last month signed an open letter that listed food as one of many concerns inside, noting “we are being tortured physically and psychologically due to the poor food resources provided.” Reports of maggots in meals last month were a factor in detainees’ decision to launch a hunger and labor strike inside.
The Department of Homeland Security and GEO Group have previously denied there are issues with the detention center’s food. The Sherrill administration last week sued to try and get a court order for state health inspectors to gain full access to Delaney Hall. GEO Group immediately moved to have that case removed to federal court, setting up a fight over jurisdiction that will bog down the case for the foreseeable future.
This story has been updated with more information.
