After Delaney Hall detainee dies in ICE custody, emotions run high at protest

Protesters gathered at the gates of Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, Monday following the death of an ICE detainee. 

Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, died Saturday after suffering a medical emergency in ICE custody. 

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the death in a statement. 

"When Lopez-Cornejo experienced a medical emergency while in ICE custody, GEO facility staff and medical staff responded immediately and called 911 for emergency medical services. The official cause of death remains pending further medical examination," the DHS statement said, in part. "While in custody, Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals."

DHS said Lopez-Cornejo was arrested for illegally entering the U.S. in 2006 and was subsequently removed, only to illegally re-enter the U.S. at a later date. ICE said he was arrested on July 18 in Plainfield, New Jersey. 

"He was an excellent son. He had a little girl and he was a good father. I have nothing bad to say about my son. He was a good father. He was my second child. And now I have lost him at the hands of ICE. I don't know how I'll heal from this pain, because losing my son leaves me with a very deep pain. These men go around grabbing hard-working people," Edwin's mother Maria said in a press release. 

Earlier this year, tensions peaked as protesters and ICE agents clashed outside Delaney Hall for weeks over the alleged conditions inside. Monday's protest in memory of Lopez-Cornejo remained peaceful.   

Outside Delaney Hall Monday night, protesters spoke out. 

"You know what you're doing is wrong," one person said. 

Others prayed for justice as emotions ran high. Tears flowed. 

"We're reaching out to God. Why is this happening? And we don't know what to do," one person said. 

"When we heard from the family of Edwin, they had not even realized that he was dead, until the hospital called them and hours had passed by," one person said. 

The protesters carried posters with Lopez-Cornejo's name, and banners demanding the facility be shut down. As a vigil for the deceased grew, some messages called for abolishing ICE. 

Black ribbons were tied to the fence. Protesters said each ribbon represented an inmate death in ICE custody. A speaker reiterated calls for Delaney Hall to be shut down. 

"This is a nonviolent act. But it's an act of defiance," one person said.   

"We refuse to have our neighbors stolen from us. We will speak their names. We will remember them," one person said at the protest. 

Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued a statement saying she is "deeply disturbed" over the death. 

"My administration is working with our Congressional delegation to gather all the facts surrounding this death. At the same time, we continue to face obstruction in our efforts to conduct a full health inspection of the facility. Every effort to block oversight raises serious questions about what is happening inside Delaney Hall and what those operating the facility are trying to hide," Sherrill said. "This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed."