PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
August 4, 2026
Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278
Edwin Jovanny López-Cornejo, a 41-year-old Salvadoran man who had been detained for six weeks on immigration grounds at Delaney Hall in New Jersey, died over the weekend. Edwin had underlying medical conditions—high blood pressure and diabetes—and had therefore filed a habeas corpus petition requesting his release in light of his health condition.
Edwin’s story is that of thousands of immigrants. He entered the United States in 2006; he was apprehended and deported to El Salvador two months later. Apparently, he re-entered the United States shortly thereafter and was arrested on June 18, 2026, in Plainfield, NJ. Edwin’s story highlights the lack of legal pathways for entry and residency. A man with family ties in the United States, including a 12-year-old daughter, should have had the opportunity to regularize his immigration status.
This administration’s immigration policy was presented as an effort to deport people with criminal records. Today we know that this is false; immigration enforcement actions are primarily targeting people who have no criminal records, who are active members of their communities and families, and who work in this country. The United States will not be any safer, and instead, there is a family mourning the loss of a loved one. No human being deserves to die because of their immigration status.
Delaney Hall, a private detention center operated by the GEO Group, has been in the news for its inadequate detention conditions. Both detainees and migrant rights activists have organized protests both inside and outside the detention center. Numerous federal, state, and local elected officials have spoken out to denounce the detention conditions. A group of detainees was on a hunger strike and underwent medical procedures against their will. Delaney Hall is notorious for restricting access by local authorities and elected officials seeking to verify detention conditions. Edwin is the second person detained on immigration grounds to die at this detention center in the last eight months. Let us remember that Congress authorized an unprecedented amount of money to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement purposes. The people’s tax dollars are being used to facilitate these negligent conditions and deadly enforcement practices.
The cruelty and inhumanity of immigration policy are evident in the suffering, injuries, and loss of life. Edwin is the 26th person to die in detention in the first 7 months of 2026. These policies are the result of funding approved by Congress, its inaction on immigration policy, and this administration’s implementation of a white supremacist agenda. We will continue to raise our voices and call on everyone to do the same. We demand an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation. No more immigration detention!
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.
