For Immediate Release: May 9, 2025
Contact: Heather Cabral, 202-550-6880, hcabral@faithinaction.org
Washington – In the aftermath of Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest today in Newark, faith leaders are calling Delaney Hall a toxic facility and demanding that the facility submit to state regulations. Mayor Baraka and other elected officials were seeking to inspect the detention center, which is within their jurisdiction, and enforce health and safety regulations under the U.S. Constitution.
In recent months, the detention and deportation budget has been quadrupled, with funding coming from cuts to Medicaid and Food Assistance. Additionally, since the change in administration, seven people have died in ICE detention centers. One study found that 95% of deaths in ICE custody were preventable with proper care.
Leaders with Faith in Action and its local federation, Faith in New Jersey shared the following statements:
Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director, Faith in Action, “Delaney Hall is a toxic facility, paid for by Medicaid. Snap benefits are being cut to ensure the Delany Hall’s of this country thrive, that we have funds to deport people without due process. It is immoral to cut vital programs that support essential healthcare and food for children, It is immoral to tear families and communities apart through mass deportation. It is immoral to provide mass tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of those families. It is imperative that federally funded sites continue to submit themselves to local and state regulations where they are located. The federal government is not beyond the law of the city of Newark nor of the State New Jersey.”
Charlene D. Walker, Executive Director of Faith in New Jersey, said: “GEO Group and ICE operate as rogue actors, violating state and local laws while imprisoning our beloved siblings at Delaney Hall. This is lawless tyranny, and people of faith refuse to remain silent. We demand immediate closure, full transparency about those held captive, and faith leader access to provide spiritual care. Elected officials must choose: stand with Mayor Baraka or with corporate profiteers. We need bold action like that of Congressman Al Green, not more political theater. We will resist, disrupt, and persist as our faith demands—until all are free.”
Omar Angel Perez, immigrant justice director at Faith in Action, “This is an abuse of power. They are elected officials conducting an oversight visit to ensure the safety and well-being of those detained. The facility cannot operate without a proper permit. The use of force is uncalled for. As people of faith, we call for the release of Mayor Baraka and the closing of the detention center.”
The Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, political director, Faith in Action, “The ongoing deportation, detention, and criminalization of innocent people, including immigrants, elected officials, parents, students, and ordinary citizens, is not an accident. It is the fulfillment of a long-standing covenant with white supremacy, upheld by a nation deeply invested in punishment, profit, and the policing of Black and Brown bodies. This is not just bad policy. It is sin. These are the fruits of a nation that has turned its back on justice, mercy, and love of neighbor. As people of faith, we refuse to be complicit. We will not be numb. We will not be neutral. This is our altar call. Not in the safety of sanctuaries, but in the streets, at the Capitol, City Halls, in our communities, wherever God’s children are being harmed.”
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