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A 41-year-old Salvadoran national who re-entered the United States illegally has died in federal custody after being arrested in New Jersey following a previous deportation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announced Monday.
Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died Aug. 1 at University Hospital in Newark after suffering a medical emergency while detained at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility, according to an ICE statement.
Staff with the GEO Group, the private detention company that manages the facility, along with medical personnel, responded to the emergency and called 911.
The official cause of death remains pending a formal medical examination, according to ICE.
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Lopez-Cornejo was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol for entering the U.S. without inspection on or about Aug. 13, 2006.
A Department of Justice immigration judge ordered him removed on Aug. 25, 2006, and he was deported to El Salvador on Oct. 19, 2006.
He later re-entered the U.S. illegally on an unknown date before ICE officers arrested him in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18.
He was held at Delaney Hall pending removal pursuant to the reinstatement of his prior removal order.
ICE officials said that Lopez-Cornejo received proper medical care during his detention.
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The agency notified the Department of Homeland Security oversight offices, the Consulate of El Salvador in Elizabeth, and Lopez-Cornejo’s next of kin, the statement said.
Lopez-Cornejo’s death drew swift condemnation from New Jersey officials, who reiterated demands to shut down Delaney Hall.
“I am deeply disturbed to hear of a detainee death inside Delaney Hall this weekend,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement. “My heart is with the individual’s loved ones, who deserve answers about what happened. My administration is working with our congressional delegation to gather all the facts surrounding this death.”
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“This tragedy is another painful reminder of why Delaney Hall should be closed,” Sherrill added.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka also issued a statement condemning the incident.
“In less than a year, yet another family is forced to endure the unimaginable loss of a loved one while in custody at Delaney Hall,” Baraka said. “The death of Edwin Jovanny Lopez-Cornejo is a heartbreaking reminder of the consequences of a facility that has operated for far too long without adequate oversight, accountability or transparency.”
Another detainee, Jean Wilson Brutus, 41, died Dec. 12, 2025, after suffering a medical emergency less than 24 hours after entering the facility.
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The New Jersey facility has repeatedly been accused by state and local inspectors of obstructing health and safety inspections and has been the site of ongoing protests and detainee hunger strikes over food quality, overcrowding and medical care.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
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