ICE has secured $1 billion in funding to reopen the largest immigration detention center on the East Coast, signaling a significant expansion of detention capabilities under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.
Key Takeaways
- ICE will reopen the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, making it the largest federal immigration detention facility on the East Coast.
- GEO Group, which owns the facility, has secured a 15-year contract worth $900 million ($60 million annually) to operate the center.
- The facility’s strategic location near an international airport enhances logistical efficiency for processing and removing detainees.
- This reopening marks the first detention center to open under the current Trump administration, despite New Jersey’s previous attempts to ban ICE-specific detention facilities.
- The private-public partnership highlights the increasing role of private corporations in immigration enforcement infrastructure.
Major Expansion of East Coast Detention Capacity
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to reopen Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, establishing what will become the largest federal immigration detention center on the East Coast. With a capacity of 1,000 beds, the facility significantly expands ICE’s detention capabilities in the region. The facility, owned by private prison operator GEO Group, previously housed immigration detainees from 2011 to 2017 and is strategically positioned adjacent to the Essex County jail, creating an efficient processing hub for immigration enforcement operations.
The reopening represents a major shift in New Jersey’s detention landscape, where currently only one active immigration detention center exists in Elizabeth with a capacity of 270 people. By comparison, New York state operates three detention centers with a combined capacity of 600 beds. Once operational, Delaney Hall will rival Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center, which currently holds just over 1,000 individuals, making it one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the northeastern United States.
ICE is set to reopen a detention facility in Newark that will nearly double the agency’s capacity to detain people in the NYC region.
Prison contractor The GEO Group said the 1,000 bed facility would open this spring, and that the company had signed a 15-year contract with ICE… pic.twitter.com/opbERHJBZN
— US Ship of State (@US_ShipOfState) February 28, 2025
Strategic Location and Operational Benefits
The selection of Delaney Hall’s location is no coincidence. Its proximity to Newark Liberty International Airport creates significant operational advantages for immigration enforcement. Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello emphasized the strategic importance of this location in implementing the administration’s immigration policies stating, “The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities”
The facility’s reopening aligns with broader efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement infrastructure. The proximity to transportation hubs enables more efficient movement of detainees throughout the immigration system, potentially accelerating deportation proceedings. Additionally, the location provides access to legal and social services necessary for processing immigration cases while maintaining secure detention capabilities needed for enforcement operations.
Private Sector’s Growing Role in Immigration Enforcement
The reopening of Delaney Hall highlights the significant role private corporations play in America’s immigration enforcement system. GEO Group, one of the nation’s largest private prison operators, has secured a lucrative 15-year contract worth approximately $900 million to operate the facility. The contract guarantees approximately $60 million annually, representing a substantial long-term investment in private detention infrastructure under the current administration’s immigration policies.
The public-private partnership model exemplified by the Delaney Hall contract demonstrates how government immigration policies create market opportunities for private detention operators. With the administration’s focus on increased detention and deportation, companies like GEO Group stand to benefit substantially from government contracts aimed at expanding detention capacity throughout the country.
Legal Challenges and State Opposition
The reopening of Delaney Hall comes despite previous efforts by New Jersey to restrict ICE detention operations within the state. In 2021, New Jersey enacted legislation prohibiting ICE from opening immigrant-specific jails, though portions of this law were later deemed unconstitutional in 2023. GEO Group subsequently sued the state in 2024, citing the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which establishes that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state laws.
This legal victory for ICE and GEO Group represents a significant precedent regarding federal immigration enforcement authority versus state restrictions. The decision to reopen Delaney Hall demonstrates the federal government’s determination to expand detention capacity despite local opposition in some communities. With construction and staffing preparations underway, the facility is expected to begin operations in the coming months, becoming the first new detention center to open under the current administration.
Sources:
ICE to open East Coast’s largest federal immigration detention center in Newark
ICE signs $1 billion contract with private firm for New Jersey detention center
ICE Signs $1B Deal to Reopen N.J. Detention Center
