Newark Lifts Delaney Hall Curfew; NJ Attorney General and Newark City File Separate Lawsuits Against GEO Group Seeking Inspection Access and Facility Closure

On June 3, 2026, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka confirmed the overnight curfew around Delaney Hall ICE detention facility had been lifted effective 9 p.m. on June 2 — with the first protest-free night in over a week following clashes that left 46 arrested and involved NJ State Police with tear gas and mounted officers. June 3 saw no curfew arrests and a notably calmer atmosphere. However, the legal battle escalated dramatically: New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport filed a civil lawsuit against GEO Group demanding state health inspectors be granted access to the facility's medical unit, sleeping quarters, and bathing areas — after GEO had blocked a prior Friday health inspection, with a GEO official telling state inspectors they 'were not permitted to inspect those areas.' Human Rights Watch simultaneously published a detailed report based on interviews with detainees and advocates documenting accounts of abysmal conditions including spoiled food, inadequate medical care, retaliation for the hunger strike with pepper spray, and forced signing of deportation documents. Mayor Baraka announced Newark would expand its existing federal lawsuit against the facility, seeking immediate closure of the 1,000-bed GEO Group-operated detention center. NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill backed the AG's action. GEO Group denied all allegations and maintained the facility met ICE's performance standards. The dual-track legal strategy — simultaneous city and state actions — represented the most aggressive coordinated governmental challenge to an ICE private detention contractor in New Jersey history.