Hakeem Jeffries

MORRISTOWN - Standing by a Dover woman arrested with her husband by ICE authorities on the way to their business, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries vowed to shut down the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, where Filemon Ruiz Cielo said she was abused and denied adequate medical care.

"We've made it clear that Delaney Hall should be, and will be, shut down," Jeffries, D-NY, said during a press conference at Calvary Baptist Church with New Jersey Reps. Robert Menendez D-Hudson, and Analilia Mejia, D-Morris, who represents Morristown in the 11th District.

The event comes in the wake of the reported deaths of two detainees who died since Delaney opened in May 2025. Among them was Edwin Jovanny Lopez Cornejo, 39, who died Aug. 1 after falling ill. A third death was recently tied to the facility.

With translation assistance from Karol Ruiz, of the Morristown-based immigrant advocacy group Wind of the Spirit, the assembly heard moving testimony from Cielo's wife, Margarita Cielo Balbuena. She and her husband Balbuena were taken into custody in Dover on the morning of May 23, on their way to the 3 Brothers Mexican restaurant they own and operate in neighboring Rockaway.

"I suffered pepper gas, great terror and physical abuse at the hands of immigration agents," Balbuena said, adding allegations that her husband, who recently had shoulder, ankle and spine surgery, was physically abused by the arresting ICE agents. "They took my husband forcefully out of the car and threw him to the ground, four agents on top of him. They folded his knees. He was screaming in pain."

Cielo was released from custody on June 29. Balbuena was released in late July.

"I suffered two months in the detention center," she said. "They gave us spoiled milk, rotten, spoiled food. Chicken patties that had a rancid flavor."

Her testimony included the story of one pregnant woman she said complained of a toothache and was given only mouthwash and Tylenol. "They would not even bring her to the doctor for at least five days."

"Our government, in many ways, is handing them a death sentence. A slow death sentence," Mejia said.

Mejia said when she visited Balbuena while in custody at Delaney Hall, "I could see that she was unwell. I learned she was being given, in effect, a quarter of her diabetes medicine. Her doctor was not contacted, her pharmacy was not contacted and her family was ignored."

Baluena urged the public to "strengthen themselves" and join the fight for fair treatment of immigrants.

"It is not just someone like me, who has been in this country since 1989, who pays taxes, who is a homeowner, who gives work to others, someone who has children and grandchildren who are born in this country, that has to suffer the psychological and physical abuse. The humiliation," she said.

The church also hosted a roundtable discussion that was not open to the press, and included the Congress members, local leaders, other former Delaney detainees and family members of individuals killed while in ICE custody.

"This morning, we had the opportunity to hear from folks across not only my district, but impacted families who have lost loved ones at Delaney Hall, through these unjust actions that our government has been taking against our communities," Mejia said.

ICE has frequently targeted poor Latino communities in Morristown and Dover over the past several months in the otherwise wealthy suburban towns in Morris County. Elected Democratic leaders of Dover, Morristown and Morris Township were in attendance.

Mejia, Menendez and Jeffries placed the blame squarely on President Donald Trump.

"Law-abiding families are being violently targeted by ICE enforcement activities in ways that undermine community, this state and our country," Jeffries said. "ICE is completely and violently out of control, and needs to be reined in in the most dramatic way possible."

"If there is ever a moment in history where we have to take meaningful, collective action to fix our broken immigration system, that moment is now," Menendez said. "This cannot be the future of this country."