Tense protests erupt outside Delaney Hall immigrant detention centre in US
According to Al Jazeera, a hunger strike at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in New Jersey has reopened questions about conditions inside US immigration detention centres. Rights groups, family members and pro bono legal volunteers have held coordinated demonstrations outside the site.
According to Al Jazeera, a hunger strike at the privately operated Delaney Hall immigrant detention centre in New Jersey has revived debate over US immigration policy and detention conditions. Outside the site, rights organisations, civil-society volunteers and family members of those detained continue to demonstrate, raising issues including inadequate medical care, delays in lawyer access and the length of detention periods.
New Jersey state representatives and federal Democratic senators have requested that delegations enter the facility to assess conditions. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it is reviewing the allegations and that health evaluations are under way. Geo Group, the private operator running the centre, said criticisms based on anonymous legal-observer reports do not reflect reality.
Internationally, the office of the UN Human Rights Council's Special Rapporteur said it is following developments and could request a voluntary country visit. The European Union's embassy in Washington has requested a technical briefing on conditions. This article relays Al Jazeera's photo-report and publicly available data; it does not constitute political or legal advice.
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