ICE belatedly confirmed the death of a third immigrant at the Delaney Hall Detainee Hall detention center in Newark, more than a week after a local member of congress told the public he was informed of the man’s death.
In a statement sent on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Guatemalan national Jose Chajon-Raxon suffered what medical staff thought was a seizure on July 19, a day after he was booked into the ICE facility.
Emergency services took Chajon-Raxon to University Hospital and ICE later “released” him, the agency said.
“The nurse gave a comprehensive report to first responders and Chajon-Raxon was taken to the hospital and released from ICE custody on July 22. ICE was not notified of his death.”
It wasn’t clear when exactly when Chajon-Raxon passed away, though U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez, who initially informed the public about his passing, said he’d first learned of the death on July 24.
The immigration enforcement agency said that, due to a recent policy change, it is no longer required to report or monitor deaths after detainees are released from custody.
“Per ICE policy, when an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths that may occur,” the agency said. “This is common sense. ICE is not responsible when an individual passes away weeks after leaving their custody.”
Menendez first brought this third death at the controversial detention center to light in an Instagram video and briefing with reporters on Aug. 3, which was reported by The City Reporter.
Health Care Complaints
That day, Menendez had paid an impromptu oversight visit to Delaney Hall in the wake of the death of Edwin Lopez Cornejo, a Salvadoran father to a 12-year-old U.S. citizen daughter, the second known detainee from Delaney Hall since the facility opened in the spring of 2025.
Lopez Cornejo had a series of complex medical conditions including high blood sugar, high blood pressure and epilepsy, described in extensive habeas corpus filings seeking his release; his family and attorneys said they were unsure if he’d been getting his medicine regularly.
An investigation by The City Reporter in June identified dozens of lawsuits by detainees describing difficulty getting proper medical care while held at Delaney Hall and problems accessing medicine regularly to manage complex conditions.
ICE told Menendez ambulances from University Hospital took more than 30 minutes to respond to emergency calls for both Chajon-Raxon and Lopez Cornejo, Menendez said.
A spokesperson for University Hospital disputed the ambulance response times, but refused to confirm any additional details about the deaths, citing patient confidentiality.
Additional information about Chajon-Raxon’s family or his time in the United States wasn’t immediately available.
The deaths of Chajon-Raxon and Lopez Cornejo follow that of Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian immigrant who died last December. An autopsy later determined Wilson Brutus died of natural causes, namely a pulmonary embolism, according to New Jersey’s Health Department.
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The post ICE Belatedly Confirms Death of Third Delaney Hall Detainee appeared first on The City Reporter.
