ICE Jailer in New Jersey Is Sued By Its Landlord, Claiming Unsafe Conditions
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Marie DeLuca
The owners of a windowless former warehouse that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees in New Jersey are alleging dangerous conditions at the facility and suing to terminate its lease, representing another potential victory for activists seeking the end of controversial immigration detention in the state.
The lawsuit filed Monday alleges that CoreCivic, the private prison operator that leases the facility and contracts with ICE to hold about 145 asylum seekers and other undocumented immigrants, breached its contract by failing to follow local and federal safety regulations to stop the spread of Covid. The Elizabeth Detention Center has had more Covid cases than other ICE facilities in the region, and both security and medical employees have died. One dozen detainees newly tested positive at the end of April, just as cases statewide were dropping.