NDLON Files Federal FOIA Request Seeking Answers in the Death of Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo at Delaney Hall

Newark, NJ — The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), demanding the immediate release of records related to the detention and death of Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, who died on August 1st after suffering a medical emergency while detained at Delaney Hall in Newark. The request also seeks information about medical care, emergency response protocols, staffing, prior deaths, and conditions throughout the facility.

Edwin, a 39-year-old father and longtime New Jersey resident, was detained by ICE on June 18th. According to his family, he repeatedly went without the medication and medical care he needed to manage diabetes, high blood pressure, and seizures. On July 31st, Edwin told his mother he had lost feeling in half of his face and his right hand and planned to seek medical attention. The following day, he collapsed. His mother learned of his death from a hospital—not from ICE or GEO Group.

The FOIA request seeks records documenting Edwin’s arrest, detention, medical treatment, requests for care, communications surrounding his death, and records from Delaney Hall related to access to medical care more broadly, including medical staffing, emergency response procedures, hospitalizations, grievances regarding medical care, and deaths of people in ICE custody in New Jersey.

“Edwin’s family deserves answers, and so does the public,” said Jorge Torres, Organizing Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). “When someone dies in government custody after pleading for medical care, transparency is the bare minimum. We refuse to allow Edwin’s death to be hidden behind bureaucracy or secrecy. This request is a first step for uncovering the truth, holding those responsible accountable, and preventing another family from suffering the same devastating loss.”

The request also highlights a broader pattern of abuse and neglect at Delaney Hall. Edwin’s death follows months of reports from detained immigrants describing inadequate medical care, unsafe conditions, retaliation against hunger strikers, and repeated failures to protect medically vulnerable people. But as the Request notes, “[r]ather than heeding the strikers’ urgent warnings regarding the dangerous and inhumane conditions inside, ICE and Geo Group met strikers with physical violence, threats, and retaliatory transfers.” Edwin’s death marks at least the fourth death connected to Delaney Hall since late 2025 and comes amid a nationwide rise in deaths in ICE detention.

Because conditions inside Delaney Hall continue to place lives at risk, NDLON has requested expedited processing of the FOIA, arguing there is an urgent public interest in understanding the government’s actions and preventing further harm.

The Ice out of New Jersey collective continues to call for:

• Full accountability from ICE and GEO Group for Edwin’s death.
• An independent investigation into conditions and medical care at Delaney Hall.
• The immediate review of all medical cases and the release of medically vulnerable people in ICE custody.
• The closure of Delaney Hall and all immigration detention facilities that continue to deny people timely medical care and humane treatment.

“No family should have to learn that their loved one died in government custody without answers,” Torres added. “Edwin’s death must be a turning point. We owe it to his daughter, his mother, and every family living with this fear to demand transparency, accountability, and an end to a detention system that continues to cost human lives.”

Family Viewing and FOIA Announcement

The family of Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo will receive friends, loved ones, and community members today from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at:

716 Watchung Avenue
Plainfield, NJ 07060

Members of the ICE Out of New Jersey coalition will gather with the family to honor Edwin’s life and pay their respects. At 6:00 p.m., coalition members will publicly announce the filing of the FOIA request and reaffirm their commitment to seeking truth, accountability, and justice for Edwin and every family impacted by deaths in ICE custody.

Read NDLON’s Freedom of Information Act Request HERE.

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