In a press conference held Monday in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Representative Rob Menendez said that a man, yet to be publicly identified, died shortly after being released from ICE custody. According to Menendez, the man was released after he experienced a medical crisis during his intake at Newark’s Delaney Hall Detention Center.
Menendez further claimed that he discovered this information while he was conducting an oversight visit at the Delaney Hall following the death of Edwin Jeovanny Lopez Cornejo, who passed away on Saturday, August 1, 2026.
The unidentified detainee was said to have been going through the intake process at Delaney Hall when he began to experience a medical condition, believed to have been a seizure. Rep. Menendez said that nurses at the facility responded and called 9-1-1. About 30 to 45 minutes later, emergency medical services arrived. The congressman added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials then made a determination to provide the man’s discretionary release to University Hospital.
According to ICE’s website, the agency can exercise its discretion in making such custody determinations when a detainee is not deemed to be subject to mandatory detention, is a threat to public safety, or is a flight risk.
“ICE also takes other factors into consideration — including when an alien has a serious medical condition, is the primary caregiver of minor children, or other humanitarian considerations,” ICE’s website states.