U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday that it will reopen the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey, after signing a $1 billion contract with a private global lender, The Hill reported.
The 1,000-bed facility will be used for federal immigration processing as part of the agency’s expanded enforcement efforts.
“The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President [Donald] Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain, and remove illegal aliens from our communities,” acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in a statement.
Vitello, reassigned last Friday to oversee all field and enforcement operations, will also manage ICE’s new 15-year fixed-price contract with the GEO Group, a private prison operator managing facilities nationwide.
“Our company-owned Delaney Hall Facility will play an important role in providing needed detention bedspace and support services for ICE in the Northeast,” George C. Zoley, executive chairman of GEO, said of the new deal.
“We are continuing to prepare for what we believe is an unprecedented opportunity to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities.”