I want to talk about what’s happening at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. And yes, this is an email about ICE. But it’s also an email about corruption.
If you already know about the disturbing situation at Delaney Hall, please donate here to help.
Over the past few months, we’ve seen increasingly troubling reports from Delaney Hall, an immigration detention facility that has become the center of protests and controversy. Demonstrators have been showing up in solidarity with detainees who report unsanitary living conditions, inadequate medical care, and poor-quality food. More than 80 people have been arrested during protests outside the facility.
ICE agents even pepper-sprayed U.S. Senator Andy Kim simply because he attempted to go into the detention center (despite Andy having ICE approval). And if you’ve ever met Andy Kim, you know that’s quite an accomplishment. I’ve heard Andy may be the nicest person in the entire United States Senate.
New Jersey officials have sued for access to the facility after allegations of inhumane conditions. Families, advocates, and elected officials are demanding answers. Instead, they’re getting tear gassed, arrested, and stonewalled.
But here’s the part that should concern every taxpayer.
The head of ICE is a former executive at GEO Group, the private prison company that operates Delaney Hall and more than a dozen other detention facilities around the country. GEO Group holds roughly 24,000 ICE detainees, a company record, and is one of the largest political donors in the detention industry.
Think about that for a second.
A private company profits when more people are detained. Former executives moved into government positions overseeing the very system that generates those profits. Then Congress hands ICE another $70 billion with little discussion of oversight, accountability, or reform.
That’s not how government is supposed to work.
This isn’t just about immigration policy. It’s about whether taxpayer dollars are being used to enrich politically connected corporations while basic standards of human dignity are ignored.
And it’s about whether anyone in Washington is willing to stand up and say enough.
That’s why Midwest Values PAC is working to elect Democrats who will provide real oversight, demand accountability, and push back against abuses of power — whether they’re happening in Newark, Minneapolis, or anywhere else in the country.
Thank you,
Al
P.S. No matter where you stand on immigration policy, corruption should concern all of us. When private interests profit from government decisions while accountability disappears, that’s a problem. If you’re able, please chip in to help us elect leaders who are willing to challenge it.
