New Jersey signed into a statewide law a ban on the renewal or extension of publicly and privately run ICE contracts. Later that year, all 3 of the publicly county run jails closed out their contracts, with only one facility still operating: Elizabeth Detention Center, run by CoreCivic.

CoreCivic filed a legal challenge to the 2021 ICE detention ban, and in June 2023, a federal judge ruled in partial favor and struck down the private provisions of the state law, allowing CoreCivic to renew their contract and continue operations. (This case is now on appeal and will be heard May 1st in Philadelphia).

GEO Group filed a complaint seeking injunction for NJ AB5207 banning immigration detention. The New Jersey Office of Attorney General filed a letter indicating that the state was willing to enter into a temporary consent order granting GEO the same preliminary injunctive relief that CoreCivic currently had while the CoreCivic case is pending in the Third Circuit. Judge Kirsch issued the order shortly thereafter.

ICE issued an RFI for “Contract Detention Facility Solicitation No. 70CDCR24R00000012 – ERO Newark, New Jersey Area of Responsibility.”

Following ACLU FOIA litigation and in SEC filings, it was found that GEO had "responded to a procurement” of a 15-year contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be awarded in Newark. It was also revealed that CoreCivic had responded and named an expansion at the existing Elizabeth Detention Center and possible conversion of the Bo Robinson Center in Trenton.

ICE released a public statement announcing the “imminent” opening of Delaney Hall in Newark, NJ -- the first new ICE facility under the second Trump Administration. This information was also shared same day in a GEO Group quarterly earnings call where the contract was said to last 15 years at an estimated value of $1 bn.

A federal appeals court announced that the CoreCivic v. Murphy case will be heard in April or May in the Third Circuit of the Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. The date is later confirmed to be May 1st.

Following months of rumors, Union County Commissioners voted on an ordinance that would allow them to open the Union County Jail (which has been empty for four years) to public auction. Commissioners estimated renovations may cost upwards of $15 million for the 10 story building that currently has capacity for 1,000 beds. Likely bidders and buyers will be private prison corporations.

City of Newark sued to gain access to Delaney Hall/issue a stop work order, claiming GEO Group had not gone through the City's required certification/permitting process.

In early April, GEO Group requested the case brought by Newark gets moved to federal court (docket here). Later in the month, GEO will attempt to get the entire case dismissed, claiming that City of Newark should have brought their complaint against ICE, who is the one doing business through GEO and thus should be the entity subject to permits and inspections.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals heard the CoreCivic case in Philadelphia at 9:30 a.m. Across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, over 40 organizations mobilized in Philadelphia to PACK THE COURT against immigrant detention and ICE profiteers.

On that same day, Delaney Hall officially reopened for immigrant detention.

On Friday, May 9th, a week of vigils outside the newly reopened Delaney Hall culminated with the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, who joined three New Jersey Congress Members during an oversight visit of the facility. 

Shortly before his arrest, Baraka was allowed to enter through the exterior gates of the facility with the Congressional Delegation, and stepped back out after being asked to. Despite this, he was arrested by federal agents.

After Mayor Baraka was taken into DHS custody, NJAIJ and members of our coalition rallied advocates and community members outside of the holding center where Mayor Baraka was held. With hundreds of people in attendance, one thing was clear: none of us is safe until all of us are safe – and if ICE can brutally target a sitting Mayor, all of New Jersey’s immigrant communities are at risk. Though Mayor Baraka was released after several hours, New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced plans to continue the retaliative campaign against him.