Homeland Security searches for four detainees missing from Delaney Hall
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Protest outside Delaney Hall in Newark NJ: Video
Supporters of Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia from Paterson joined with immigrant advocates at a rally outside Delaney Hall in Newark on June 5.
The Department of Homeland Security is seeking the public's help in finding four detainees who escaped from Delaney Hall, the immigrant detention center in Newark.
A riot was reported inside Delaney Hall, the Newark immigrant detention center, on the evening of June 12 after detainees protested over insufficient food and other conditions.
The Department of Homeland Security is seeking the public's help, and offering a $10,000 reward, in finding four detainees who escaped from Delaney Hall, the immigrant detention center in Newark, after an uprising inside the facility on June 12.
"DHS has become aware of four detainees at the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility escaping," said an emailed statement on June 13 to NorthJersey.com credited to a "Senior DHS Official."
The email said that "additional law enforcement partners" have been brought in. DHS is asking the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if anyone has information.
Later on June 13, DHS announced the four detainees being sought, whom they classified as "illegal alien" and described as "public safety threats."
Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes from Honduras, who illegally entered the U.S. in 2021. On May 3, Wayne Township Police arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.
Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez from Honduras, who illegally entered the U.S. as a minor in 2019. On October 3, Passaic Police arrested Sandoval for unlawful possession of a handgun. He was arrested again on February 15 by Passaic Police for aggravated assault.
Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada from Colombia, who illegally entered the U.S. in 2022. On May 15, the Hammonton Police Department in South Jersey arrested Castaneda for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary.
Andres Pineda-Mogollon from Colombia, who overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023. On April 25, New York City Police arrested Pineda for petit larceny. On May 21, the Union Police Department in Central Jersey arrested Pineda for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.
A riot was reported inside Delaney Hall on the evening of June 12 after detainees protested over insufficient food and other conditions, according to several immigration rights groups.
Information gathered from people inside Delaney Hall indicates that 50 inmates in the federal detention facility joined efforts to push down the wall of a unit after meals were delivered late. On the same night, there were unconfirmed reports that several people had escaped from the facility.
'Atrocious:' Lawyers, family and friends of detainees describe ICE detention
The 1,196-bed Delaney Hall is the first immigrant detention center to open during the second term of President Donald Trump, during which the president has vowed to deport at least 11 million undocumented immigrants. In February, the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency awarded GEO Group a contract to hold migrants facing deportation at Delaney Hall. In May, the detention center opened.
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter/X: @ricardokaul
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That same law requires safe repatriation of the children. But Casas is skeptical of that. Even if the funding has been restored, the demand can't keep up. In April, more than 8,300 children ages 11 and under were ordered deported by immigration courts. That is the highest number for that age group in any month since tracking began over 35 years ago, according to court data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, as first reported by The Independent. Since Trump took office in January, judges have ordered the removal of over 53,000 immigrant children, according to the data collected. Most of those children are elementary school age or younger. Approximately 15,000 were under the age of 4, and another 20,000 were between 4 and 11 years old. Teenagers have also been affected, with 17,000 ordered deported, though that number is still below the peak seen in 2020, during Trump's first term. Some of the children are unaccompanied minors, like Xally and Daneli, but it's unclear how many, since immigration authorities stopped tracking that data years ago. In the Chicago area, it's hard to know how many children are currently being detained or deported, due to gaps in the available data. But according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the Tribune, at least 16 minors were deported or left the U.S. after being booked in Chicago-area ICE detention centers during Trump's first 150 days back in office. Another seven cases are still pending. If all seven of those cases result in deportation, that would bring the total to 23 minors — about the same number as were deported in the final 150 days of the Biden administration. But the latest available ICE data doesn't capture any efforts since late June. When Xally learned that Daneli had returned home, she panicked. The two girls had spent a few nights at the church, confiding in each other the fear that few other young girls would understand. 'Would I have to do that too?' she asked herself. 'I don't want to. I like school here, I want to go back after summer break.' Xally is enrolled at Robert Abbott Middle School in Waukegan, where she would enter eighth grade if she stays in the country. Meanwhile, her summer has been shadowed by fear and uncertainty. Just days after receiving the letter, her family quietly marked her 13th birthday — no guests, no music, no gifts. She can't even go anymore to the beach, a place that once felt like the freedom and safety she and her mother had desperately sought after being released from federal custody.
