A Salvadoran immigrant who was being held at a troubled federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, died during the weekend, according to the city’s mayor and Sen. Andy Kim.

Federal officials confirmed the death of the man, who was being held at the detention center, Delaney Hall, to Kim’s office, according to the senator’s spokesperson. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka identified the detainee as Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo.

“In less than a year, yet another family is forced to endure the unimaginable loss of a loved one while in custody at Delaney Hall,” Baraka said in a statement.

In December, Jean Wilson Brutus, 41, died after a medical emergency, federal officials said at the time. Delaney Hall was reopened last year to accommodate President Donald Trump’s expanding immigration crackdown.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversee Delaney Hall, did not immediately respond to questions about Lopez Cornejo’s death. A spokesperson for the Newark Department of Public Safety directed inquiries to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond.

Katey Sabo, a spokesperson for Kim, D-N.J., said that officials at the ICE field office in Newark confirmed Monday to the senator’s office that a Delaney Hall detainee had died in federal custody.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey condemned the man’s death and expressed support for his family while demanding answers from the federal government about what happened.

“My administration is working with our congressional delegation to gather all the facts surrounding this death,” Sherrill said. “This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Ana Ley, Tracey Tully and Mark Bonamo/Madison Swart
c. 2026 The New York Times Company