“They can’t do anything—it’s like they’re kidnapped there. We, their family members, want to help, but it’s not in our hands.”

Relatives of immigrants detained at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey say they are increasingly concerned about the wellbeing of their loved ones as a hunger and labor strike over alleged conditions inside the center enters its third week, drawing protests, political scrutiny and competing claims from detainees, government officials and the facility’s private operator.

At the center of those concerns is Elder Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant who has been held at Delaney Hall for nearly five months while contesting his deportation case. According to a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, Guerra suffered a serious fall in mid-May while showering inside the facility.

The relative said Guerra slipped, struck the back of his head and lost consciousness before experiencing a seizure. Other detainees reportedly urged guards to seek emergency medical assistance before Guerra was transported to a hospital.

He was later returned to Delaney Hall and placed in a medical isolation unit.Nearly three weeks after the incident, the relative said Guerra continues to experience severe headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light, fatigue and hearing problems in one ear.”He needs medical attention.

He’s not in an adequate place to recover,” the relative said.The case has become one of several cited by detainees, advocates and family members who accuse authorities and facility operators of failing to provide adequate medical care and humane living conditions at Delaney Hall, a detention center operated by the private prison company GEO Group under contract with federal immigration authorities.

The facility has become the focus of mounting controversy since detainees launched a hunger and labor strike on May 22. Participants say the action was prompted by concerns over medical treatment, food quality, sanitation, drinking water and living conditions.

According to a letter released by detainees on May 31, those held inside the facility described what they called conditions “not fit for human beings over such a long period of time.”The letter alleged medical neglect, contaminated drinking water, expired food, unusable bathrooms and poorly maintained ventilation systems that detainees claim have contributed to frequent illness.

The detainees also demanded faster processing of immigration cases, the release of elderly and sick detainees, a meeting with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and an end to what they described as pressure from immigration officials to sign deportation documents.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to detailed requests for comment cited in the report.As attention surrounding the facility has intensified, demonstrations outside Delaney Hall have expanded.

Protesters have accused federal authorities and facility staff of mistreating detainees, while law enforcement agencies have responded to demonstrations with crowd-control measures that have included pepper spray, tear gas, arrests and the use of Tasers, according to accounts from participants and observers.

Family members arriving for visits described emotional encounters with relatives held inside the detention center.Guerra’s relative said his detained family member repeatedly pleaded for assistance during a recent visit following the accident.”He kept telling me, ‘Help me.

I need to leave here,'” the relative said.The emotional strain has extended beyond those detained. Family members interviewed outside the facility described anxiety, frustration and uncertainty as they navigate changing visitation rules while attempting to support relatives facing immigration proceedings.

Christopher Castro, who traveled with his mother from Long Island to visit his father, said detainees were increasingly seeking legal avenues to secure release.”My dad told me that a lot of people inside are pushing their lawyers to get them out,” Castro said after a visit.

Many families expressed concern that participation in the hunger strike could result in retaliation. Several detainees have reportedly chosen not to join the protest because they fear transfers, disciplinary measures or adverse effects on their immigration cases.

Those concerns have been amplified by allegations contained in detainees’ public statements.In their latest letter, strike participants claimed that since the protest began they had faced intimidation, discrimination and threats from both facility staff and immigration authorities.

Detainees alleged they had been threatened with deportation, transfer to other detention centers and placement in disciplinary housing units.GEO Group rejected those allegations.”GEO strongly refutes these allegations,” a company spokesperson said, stating that the facility provides around-the-clock medical care, legal and family visitation, translation services, religious accommodations and meals approved by dietitians.

The company referred questions regarding individual detainee cases to federal authorities.The dispute over conditions at Delaney Hall has unfolded amid broader national debate over immigration enforcement policies and detention practices.Federal officials have frequently described those arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as serious offenders.

However, a recent review of ICE data conducted by Syracuse University researcher Austin Kocher found that the overwhelming majority of detainees held at Delaney Hall had no criminal convictions.According to Kocher’s analysis of mid-March detention data, approximately 88% of detainees held at the facility had no criminal conviction, while more than 70% had no criminal history at all.

Among those with convictions, many were associated with relatively low-level offenses.The findings have become a focal point for advocates who argue that public portrayals of immigration detainees often differ from available government data.

The controversy has also drawn the attention of elected officials. Oversight visits conducted by members of Congress and state officials have reportedly identified conditions consistent with complaints raised by detainees and their advocates.

One of the most visible activists connected to the protests is Gabriela Soto, whose husband Martin was detained at Delaney Hall before being transferred to another ICE facility. Soto said visits to the detention center motivated her to become involved in organizing demonstrations.”Once I started going to the visits and started seeing these people tell their stories, it made me so angry that they don’t have a voice,” she said.

Soto cited reports from detainees alleging spoiled food and unsanitary conditions as key reasons for her activism.Federal officials have repeatedly rejected allegations that detention conditions at Delaney Hall are inadequate.

The Department of Homeland Security has denied claims that detainees are being held in what it describes as “sub-prime” conditions and has similarly disputed comparable allegations involving other immigration detention facilities.Delaney Hall occupies a significant position within the federal detention system.

Operated by GEO Group, the largest private prison company in the United States, the facility is covered by a contract valued at approximately $1 billion over 15 years.For many families, however, the political debate remains secondary to concerns about loved ones inside the facility.

Guerra’s relative said he has hesitated to return for another visit after learning that visitors were being asked to provide identifying information before entering the center. He remains focused on securing medical treatment and legal assistance for his detained family member.”What is happening is inhumane,” he said. “They should have mercy. They’re human beings.”

National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday that approximately 300 prisoners would be freed between Monday and Friday, including minors, elderly detainees and individuals suffering from medical conditions.

“Between yesterday and this Friday, 300 people will be released,” Rodriguez said, adding that some detainees had been convicted of criminal offenses while others qualified for humanitarian relief measures.
The releases form part of a broader amnesty law adopted in February, one of the most significant political reforms enacted since Rodriguez assumed interim leadership under mounting international and domestic pressure.

Venezuela has already released hundreds of detainees since US forces captured Maduro during a raid in Caracas on Jan. 3, an operation that dramatically altered the country’s political landscape.
Among those freed this week were three former police officers imprisoned since 2003 for their alleged involvement in the brief 2002 overthrow attempt against former president Hugo Chavez.

Rights organization Foro Penal said the officers “never should have been behind bars,” while also reporting that nearly 800 detainees had been released since January, including 186 under the formal amnesty framework.

The interior ministry has presented higher figures, stating that more than 8,000 individuals have benefited from the initiative through prison releases, parole measures and other legal mechanisms.
Rodriguez said authorities were extending relief measures beyond the requirements of the amnesty legislation.

“We are going beyond the amnesty law by carrying out a process of granting benefits to these people,” he said.

Human rights groups continue to raise concerns about detention conditions and political repression in Venezuela. Foro Penal says more than 400 political prisoners remain incarcerated.

The latest releases came days after interim authorities ordered an investigation into the death in custody of political detainee Victor Hugo Quero Navas, whose case renewed scrutiny of Venezuela’s prison system.
According to Foro Penal, around 20 political prisoners have died in Venezuelan custody since 2014.

Former detainee Erasmo Bolivar, one of the released police officers, urged families of prisoners still in detention to remain hopeful.

“Stay strong, it is possible,” he said in a video released after leaving prison following more than two decades in custody.

The visit forms part of Leo’s final full day on an 11-day, four-nation Africa tour and continues a tradition established by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who prioritized prison outreach to highlight inmate welfare and systemic injustices.

Leo was scheduled to begin the day with a Mass in Mongomo before traveling to Bata, where he was also due to attend a memorial for victims of a 2021 military barracks explosion blamed on negligence.Human rights groups have intensified calls for the pope to address both domestic prison conditions and the implications of US deportation policies.

On the eve of the visit, around 70 organizations issued an open letter urging Leo to speak out against the transfer of migrants to countries where they have no ties and to discourage African governments from participating in such arrangements.

Equatorial Guinea’s justice system has faced sustained criticism from international bodies and advocacy groups. The United Nations welcomed the country’s abolition of the death penalty in 2022, but reports have continued to cite arbitrary arrests, political detentions, torture and poor prison conditions, as well as concerns over judicial independence.

The US State Department’s 2023 human rights report highlighted similar issues, including unlawful killings and life-threatening detention environments.Amnesty International has also raised concerns, stating that torture has been used to extract confessions and punish detainees, while harassment of human rights defenders and deficiencies in due process remain widespread.

The country, led by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since 1979, has denied allegations of systemic abuses. Authorities have not publicly responded to questions regarding reported violations linked to agreements with the United States to accept deported migrants.

According to reporting by the Associated Press, at least 29 migrants with no ties to Equatorial Guinea have been deported there under such arrangements. While not held in the Bata prison, some remain detained in the capital Malabo with restricted access to legal and medical services, while others have been returned to their countries of origin, where they may face persecution.

Leo, the first US-born pope, has previously criticized US migration deportation policies as “extremely disrespectful.” Advocacy groups have urged him to use the visit to press for reforms, including improved detention conditions, judicial accountability and protections for migrants.

Tutu Alicante, head of the EG Justice organization, said the government had taken limited steps to improve certain facilities but warned that sustained reform would be the true measure of progress.

He called for sentence reviews and broader judicial changes as signals of commitment to justice and reconciliation.

The filings, tied to long-running litigation over migrant child detention standards, detail conditions at the Dilley detention facility, where children and families faced virus outbreaks and extended lockdowns in December and January.

Lawyers and monitors said conditions remained concerning even as the number of detained children declined in recent weeks.Under standards stemming from the Flores settlement, children are generally not to be held in custody for more than 20 days.

However, government data cited in the filings showed that about 595 children were detained beyond that limit during December and January.Of those, approximately 265 were held for more than 50 days and 55 for over 100 days, according to the documents.

This marked an increase from a prior disclosure indicating around 400 children exceeded the limit between August and September.Lawyers argued that prolonged detention, combined with reported deficiencies in care, risked worsening physical and psychological harm among minors.

Attorneys and advocacy groups cited cases of inadequate medical treatment, poor food quality and limited access to legal counsel. One filing described a 13-year-old girl who attempted self-harm after being denied prescribed antidepressants and access to her mother.

Government records referenced in the filings stated there had been no placements on suicide watch.Advocates who visited the facility in March said that while the number of detained children had dropped to about 85, systemic issues persisted. Reports also cited the presence of worms in food and insufficient healthcare access.

The case of a young child detained earlier this year drew protests, including demonstrations by detainees within the facility.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that detention standards provide for basic necessities, including adequate food and water, and described detention as a consequence of migration choices.

It added that authorities were working to expedite deportations.The administration of Donald Trump is seeking to end the Flores settlement, arguing it constrains enforcement and imposes costs.

The case is being overseen by Dolly Gee of the Central District of California, with a hearing scheduled later this month to review compliance and conditions.