Overview
- A 41-year-old Salvadoran detainee, Edwin López-Cornejo, died after being held at Delaney Hall in Newark and transferred to University Hospital of Newark, and ICE says the death followed a medical emergency while an autopsy will determine cause.
- The detainee's mother says he did not receive timely medicines for diabetes and high blood pressure while in custody, a claim family members and advocates have publicly reported.
- ICE has defended the medical care provided but independent counts and rights groups report at least 23 deaths in ICE custody so far in 2026, raising questions about patterns rather than isolated cases.
- Multiple investigations and reports have documented crowded dorms, freezing cells, people sleeping on floors, and weeks-long waits for basic medicines and consultations that critics link to fatal outcomes.
- The case has renewed calls from watchdogs and advocates for transparent autopsy results, agency accountability, and independent reviews of medical protocols and facility conditions, with protesters and detained people already reporting hunger strikes and other complaints.