A third person has died after being held at a New Jersey immigration detention center. José Chajón-Raxón, a Guatemalan immigrant, suffered a medical emergency while in custody at Delaney Hall and later died after being hospitalized, according to the Trump administration.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Chajón-Raxón experienced seizure-like activity while detained. A nurse responded, and he was transported to a hospital. However, the department did not clarify what happened after he arrived at the hospital, whether he left before his death, or the exact time of death.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that Chajón-Raxón was arrested and brought to Delaney Hall on July 18, and was released from custody on July 22. No further details about the release were provided. The DHS statement said: "Per ICE policy, when an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths that may occur. This is common sense."
This case follows a policy shift earlier this year when ICE stopped reporting deaths occurring within 30 days after a person's release from custody, reversing a Biden administration policy from 2021. U.S. Representative Rob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, sharply criticized the change, saying it creates a "loophole" allowing the agency to release someone and then claim no responsibility to investigate their death or inform Congress and the public.
Chajón-Raxón's death became public only after Menendez disclosed it last week, following another death connected to the facility. Delaney Hall has faced scrutiny over two other deaths: Edwin López-Cornejo from El Salvador died in June, and Jean Wilson Brutus from Haiti died in December.
This latest incident adds to concerns about deaths in immigration detention. More than 50 people have died in ICE custody since Donald Trump took office, and rights groups have raised alarms about medical care and conditions. Delaney Hall has seen protests over allegations of physical abuse by guards and spoiled food. In late May, at least 300 detainees staged a hunger and labor strike, and later women in a separate unit also went on hunger strike, demanding better conditions and the release of women under 21, those with medical conditions, and mothers. ICE maintains that detainees receive appropriate medical care.