A man detained at Delaney Hall, New Jersey, over the weekend passed away, confirmed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
According to New Jersey Rep. Rob Menendez, who shared a post on social media after wrapping the regular visit at the detention center on Monday evening, August 3.
Rep. Menendez revealed the identity of the deceased as Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, who died on Saturday, August 1, 2026.
Who was Lopez-Cornejo?
Lopez-Cornejo was an immigrant from El Salvador who arrived in the U.S. in 2006.
Cornejo was held in custody by ICE agents in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18, and was moved to the Delaney Hall detention facility, where his deportation was pending.
Cornejo has been a resident of the NJ county for over 20 years.
After two months in detention at Delaney Hall, Cornejo suffered a medical condition that remains unknown and was later pronounced brought dead by University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, per ICE release.
This followed after ICE reported, in December, another death at Delaney Hall, that of a 41-year-old Haitian, Wilson Brutus.
According to the DHS, Cornejo’s death marks the 22nd death in a year in ICE custody.
2026-08-05 03:28:00
