On Friday, border czar Tom Homan dismissed allegations of poor conditions at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey, calling reports of a hunger strike and overcrowding “lies.”
Homan accused opponents of the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts of spreading misinformation to undermine deportation operations.
The border czar, who serves as President Donald Trump’s chief immigration enforcer, countered criticism from New Jersey Democrats and protesters over weeks of targeted demonstrations at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
Homan stated that reports of a hunger strike were false because detainees who skipped meals in the cafeteria still purchased food through the commissary. “They claimed there was a hunger strike because a couple of people didn’t go to the cafeteria and eat food,” he said. “But what they didn’t know is that they were ordering food from the commissary and eating it in their rooms, so nobody missed a meal.”
Homan also denied claims that the facility is overcrowded, noting that it houses 700 detainees in a 1,000-bed complex.
Criticism intensified after Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey alleged that pregnant women, cancer patients, and others were not receiving adequate medical care and that some cases had languished for months without resolution.
Homan said he personally inspected the facility and found no evidence supporting those allegations. “As far as the medical issues,” he added, “I had a conversation with Governor Mikie Sherrill. I asked for names of people who weren’t medically treated properly. They couldn’t give me a name.”
The border czar also described touring every area of the detention center, including medical facilities and recreation areas, and returning the following day without advance notice to eat the same lunch served to detainees. He noted that he consumed spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, beans, rolls with butter, dessert, and a fruit drink. “I’m a pretty big guy,” he said, “and I didn’t finish the meal.”
Homan added that the opposition stems not from concerns about conditions but from frustration with the administration’s recent crackdown on illegal immigration. “Democrats didn’t say squat for four years,” he stated. “They’re angry now because ICE is arresting people at record numbers. We’re ruining their long-term plans. That’s what it’s all about.”
