This browser does not support the Video element.
Family of detainee who reportedly died inside Delaney Hall demanding investigation
The family of Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a detainee who allegedly died inside Delaney Hall, is speaking out. FOX 5 NY's Teresa Priolo has the latest.
NEWARK, N.J. - New Jersey has launched a civil rights investigation into Delaney Hall, the ICE facility in Newark, officials announced Friday.
Delaney Hall civil rights investigation
What we know:
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the investigation, saying that the state "has a legal and a moral duty" to look into allegations of inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall.
Hunger strike, protests at Delaney Hall
The backstory:
Protests erupted outside the detention center in May, after reports that detainees were on hunger strike to speak out against living conditions.
Detainees reported things like spoiled food and no access to hygiene products like toilet paper, toothpaste and menstruation products, according to Davenport's office. Gov. Mikie Sherrill called for the facility to be "closed down," after she said the state health department was denied access.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 'Delaney Hall should be closed down': Gov. Sherrill says NJ Dept. of Health 'denied full access'
The Department of Homeland Security has denied claims of hunger strikes and poor conditions at Delaney Hall.
The protests sparked clashes outside the facility between demonstrators and officers, leading to several arrests and a nightly curfew.
Earlier this week, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced that a detainee at Delaney Hall, announced that Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, a detainee at the facility, had died in custody.
Delaney Hall detainee has allegedly died, Gov. Sherrill and Mayor Baraka say
A Delaney Hall detainee has allegedly died, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
‘Disturbing’ allegations at ICE detention center
What they're saying:
Sherrill called the allegations of the conditions at Delaney Hall "disturbing," and said that the investigation announced Friday was necessary because "the facility is stonewalling efforts for real oversight."
Sherrill said that ICE and The GEO Group, which operates Delaney Hall, "have continued to block our efforts for a full health inspection and there are now reports that visitations have been stopped."
"We will not tolerate a facility that abdicates any transparency and accountability," Sherrill said. "I have long opposed private detention facilities, and my position is clear that Delaney Hall should be closed."
The Source: Information in this story is from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, NJ Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and previous FOX 5 NY reports.