Somebody Is Lying

The integrity of American governance hinges on truth.

Yet today, a troubling question looms over Newark, New Jersey: Who is lying about Delaney Hall?

GeoGroup, the private prison giant contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and federal officials themselves insist that Delaney Hall, a facility housing detained immigrants, holds a valid certificate of occupancy and all required permits.

We asked them to show a copy as proof, and five days later, they have utterly failed to deliver.

But when pressed by NJToday.news to produce these documents—specifically a valid certificate of occupancy plus permits for electrical work, plumbing, and fire safety—both GeoGroup and DHS merely repeated previous claims.

Nobody should take them at their word.

Lawsuits and reports allege that GEO Group has exposed detainees to harmful chemicals during cleaning and sanitation efforts, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to health issues.

GEO Group has been accused of employing detainees in low-paying or unpaid work programs, with some being paid as little as $1 a day.

Critics have raised concerns about the living conditions in GEO-managed detention centers, including medical neglect, lack of access to sunlight and fresh air, and cramped quarters.

GEO Group has faced lawsuits and court rulings over violations of state minimum wage laws, with some cases finding them liable for back wages to detainees.

The company has been criticized for denying local authorities access to detention facilities, hindering investigations and safety inspections.

Some allegations have linked GEO Group to the practice of family separation.

Concerns have been raised about the proximity of GEO Group detention centers to “chemical corridors” and the potential environmental impact of their operation.

While the GEO Group clearly has damaged credibility, the Trump administration has none. In his first term, pathological liar Donald Trump told more than 30,000 documented and conforming lies.

The Lawfaremedia.org website lists hundreds of lawsuits filed against the federal government that present credible claims that the Trump administration is breaking the law or violating the Constitution.

DHS made the preposterous claim that  two members of Congress,  Representatives Robert Menendez, Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman, “stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”

That’s preposterous for two reasons. 

First of all, Watson Coleman is 80 years old.

Secondly, members of Congress have broad authority to conduct unannounced oversight visits to federal facilities, including those operated by the Department of Homeland Security.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and at least four members of Congress assert the facility is operating unlawfully.

The GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the nation, asked a federal judge to declare unconstitutional New Jersey’s law barring immigrant detention centers.

It made the request so it could open a new immigration detention jail in Newark, where a previous immigrant detention center closed in 2017.

Inspections and a new certificate of occupancy are required when there’s a significant change of use.

The city has not issued a certificate of occupancy, but the facility reopened without one.

Christopher Ferreira, GeoGroup’s Director of Corporate Relations, directed inquiries to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pointing to a prior statement from a company spokesperson: “Delaney Hall has a valid Certificate of Occupancy … and complies with all contracted health and safety requirements.”

But where is the proof? If the documents exist, why withhold them?

The contradictions grow starker.

A DHS press release dated May 9, 2025, claims, “The allegations made by Newark politicians that Delaney does not have the proper permitting are false. We have valid permits, and inspections for plumbing, electricity, and fire codes have been cleared.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s office has publicly condemned the facility as “operating without the proper permits to hold immigrants,” echoing Mayor Baraka’s demands for accountability.

This dispute unfolds against the backdrop of a broader, more sinister pattern: the Trump administration’s relentless campaign to detain and deport immigrants, often sidestepping legal and ethical boundaries.

While the White House frames this as “law and order,” critics argue it is lawless tyranny—a betrayal of American values.

Undocumented immigrants, many of whom arrived on valid visas only to overstay due to circumstance, hope, or love, are not criminals. They are human beings.

As they are held in facilities like Delaney Hall, basic safeguards are now in question.

If GeoGroup and DHS cannot produce the permits they claim to possess, what else are they hiding?

Municipal permits and certificates of occupancy are not bureaucratic trifles. They are legal necessities, designed to protect lives.

Private corporations working under federal contracts are not exempt from local laws—a principle that safeguards communities from corner-cutting and negligence.

The absence of transparency here is alarming. Either GeoGroup and DHS are misleading the public, or Newark’s elected leaders are fabricating claims. There is no middle ground.

Americans deserve answers. If the documents exist, release them. If they do not, admit it—and shutter Delaney Hall.

But until then, one thing is clear: Somebody is lying. And when the stakes are human lives, the truth cannot wait.

Trump, DHS, and the Geo Group have far less credibility than the local politicians who are demanding compliance with construction code laws.

The city says Delaney Hall lacks permits because a half-dozen rooms in the facility need grounded electrical outlets, and a new entry gate has not passed electrical inspection, among other things.

Those claims are based on code inspection documents submitted in legal filings from the city, which is pursuing it’s case against GEO Group.

People affiliated with GEO Group contributed $1 million last year to Make America Great Again Inc, a PAC that supported Trump, according to Open Secrets.

DHS and GeoGroup are lying.