Exploring the Impact of a $1 Billion Move in Immigration Enforcement

ICE is set to reopen a massive detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, with a billion-dollar investment that will make it the largest immigration detention center on the East Coast.

Key Takeaways

ICE will reopen Delaney Hall in Newark with a 1,000-bed capacity, making it the largest immigration detention center on the East Coast.
GEO Group, which owns the facility, secured a $900 million contract with ICE spanning 15 years at $60 million annually.
The facility’s location near Newark International Airport strategically supports deportation logistics.
This reopening marks the first detention center to launch under the Trump administration’s renewed immigration enforcement focus.
New Jersey’s law restricting ICE detention facilities faced legal challenges, with parts deemed unconstitutional in 2023.

Trump Administration Expands Detention Capacity

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to reopen Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, establishing what will become the largest federal immigration detention center on the East Coast. The facility, with its 1,000-bed capacity, represents a significant expansion of ICE’s detention infrastructure and will be the first detention center to open under the current Trump administration. The center will focus on housing individuals awaiting deportation proceedings as part of the administration’s broader efforts to address illegal immigration.

Delaney Hall, which previously operated as an ICE detention center from 2011 to 2017, is strategically positioned adjacent to Essex County jail and near Newark Liberty International Airport. This location provides logistical advantages for processing and transporting detainees with acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello stating “The location near an international airport streamlines logistics, and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities” The facility is owned by GEO Group, one of the nation’s largest private prison operators, which will manage operations under federal oversight.

ICE is set to reopen a detention facility in Newark that will nearly double the agency’s capacity to detain people in the NYC region.

Prison contractor The GEO Group said the 1,000 bed facility would open this spring, and that the company had signed a 15-year contract with ICE… pic.twitter.com/opbERHJBZN

— US Ship of State (@US_ShipOfState) February 28, 2025

The Public-Private Partnership

The reopening of Delaney Hall represents a major financial commitment through a public-private partnership. GEO Group recently announced securing a contract with ICE worth approximately $60 million annually for 15 years, totaling around $900 million. This agreement highlights the substantial investment being made in immigration enforcement infrastructure under the current administration and demonstrates the growing role of private companies in federal detention operations.

GEO Group’s CEO David Donahue has publicly referenced the “scale of opportunity” presented by the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies. The company’s stock has shown significant gains following the election, reflecting investor confidence in increased demand for detention facilities. This financial arrangement underscores how immigration policy decisions directly impact both public agencies and private businesses in the detention sector.

Legal Challenges and Regional Context

The reopening of Delaney Hall comes despite New Jersey’s legislative efforts to restrict immigration detention in the state. In 2021, New Jersey enacted a law prohibiting ICE from opening immigrant-specific jails, but portions of this legislation were deemed unconstitutional in 2023. GEO Group subsequently sued New Jersey in 2024, citing the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which establishes that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state laws.

Currently, New Jersey has only one active immigration detention center located in Elizabeth with a 270-person capacity. Neighboring New York maintains three detention centers with a combined 600-bed capacity. Until now, Pennsylvania’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center, with just over 1,000 beds, has been the largest facility in the region. The addition of Delaney Hall will significantly expand ICE’s detention capabilities in the Northeast corridor, an area with high immigrant populations.

Operational Timeline and Impact

ICE officials have indicated that Delaney Hall will become operational this spring, requiring staffing and facility preparations before accepting detainees. The facility will handle various detention cases, including individuals apprehended at the border who have traveled to the Northeast, those arrested in local ICE operations, and individuals transferred from other detention centers. This expansion aligns with the administration’s stated immigration enforcement priorities and represents a significant increase in detention capacity.

The reopening of this major detention center signals a shift in federal immigration enforcement strategies, emphasizing detention and deportation as key components. As preparations continue for Delaney Hall’s activation, both supporters of stricter immigration controls and advocates for alternative approaches are closely monitoring developments at what will become a centerpiece of East Coast immigration enforcement operations.