NJAIJ STATEMENT FOLLOWING SHOCKING ALLEGATIONS OF CULT TIES TO DELANEY HALL
Immigration coalition calls for immediate releases and an independent investigation into ties between Delaney Hall and Unconditional Freedom.

NEWARK, NJ [October 5, 2026] - Earlier today, journalist Katie Phang published an investigative report allegedly tying Delaney Hall Administrator Luis Soto to the Epstein-linked sex cult OneTaste/Unconditional Freedom. In response, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) is calling for immediate State and Federal intervention to release and protect all detained individuals at Delaney Hall and to thoroughly investigate potential instances of sexual, psychological, or other forms of abuse, coercion, and exploitation at the GEO Group facility. 

"Today’s reporting furthers what survivors and advocates have warned from day one: Delaney Hall is dangerous and ICE detention is inhumane. Behind closed doors, vulnerable people are trapped by a federal agency that offers no recourse and private prison profiteers incapable of remorse," said Amy Torres, Executive Director with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “From day one, abysmal conditions, negligence, violence, and acts of intimidation and abuse have plagued Delaney Hall. A thorough, independent investigation into GEO Group, administrator Luis Soto, and any Delaney Hall ties to Unconditional Freedom must take place immediately. And as these allegations surface, every person in Delaney Hall must be released, as they remain at risk of further retaliation and systemic abuse."

Delaney Hall was the first announced immigration detention facility upon President Trump’s return to the White House. Delaney Hall owner and operator GEO Group estimates the value of its 15-year contract with The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at $1 billion. The facility has stoked controversy even before operational, facing local lawsuits for failure to allow certain inspections or secure local permits. Representatives demanding oversight at the facility, including Newark’s Congresswoman LaMonica McIver and Mayor Ras Baraka have faced felony charges and arrest. Since its opening, allegations of abuse, medical neglect, and dangerous conditions have been ongoing. In 2025, a prison-wide strike in response to conditions resulted in a collapsed wall and the escape of four individuals. At least three individuals have died following their detention at Delaney Hall, while ambulances make regular appearances at the facility's gates. Earlier this spring, hunger strikers raised serious allegations of abuse and neglect, resulting in severe disciplinary crackdowns within the facility as well as outside. High stakes conflicts between federal agents and protestors made headlines, including incidents where protestors were tackled, hit by cars, and Senator Andy Kim was caught in clouds of pepper spray. Some of the lead hunger strikers who made national headlines earlier this year remain silenced or in solitary detention today.

For years, advocates have raised alarms regarding the dangers of privatized detention and the lack of transparency surrounding third-party contractors for prisons. NJAIJ and its members were part of the effort to pass AB5207 into law, effectively banning private and public contracts with the federal government for the purposes of immigration detention. Private prison group CoreCivic challenged AB5207 in 2023, in a case that was supported by the Biden Administration's Department of Justice. The ruling struck down the private provisions of the law, a decision that was later upheld in an appeal that GEO Group joined last year.

Now, NJAIJ calls on the full release of all people inside Delaney Hall as further allegations come forward about its leadership. NJAIJ calls upon Congress, who funds the Department of Homeland Security, to thoroughly investigate Delaney Hall, GEO Group, and its staff and urges the State Office of Attorney General to independently launch an investigation into the company’s operations in the state.

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New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) is the state’s largest immigration coalition. NJAIJ brings together 60+ organizations to fight for policies that empower and protect immigrants.