Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, 41, dies while being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, according to ICE and other reported officials. Multiple outlets report that Lopez-Cornejo, a man originally from El Salvador, was arrested on June 18 and held at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility while awaiting deportation. ICE states that he suffers an unspecified “medical emergency” and is later pronounced deceased by University Hospital in Newark. The reports also note that the death occurs about six weeks after his arrest.
The Guardian additionally reports that the death is the 22nd in ICE custody this year, citing agency data. The Independent says the death prompts renewed calls to shut down the New Jersey detention center. ABC News and The Hill also describe ICE’s characterization of the death as a medical emergency and identify Lopez-Cornejo as the detainee who died.
The outlets do not provide further details about the cause of death beyond ICE’s description of a medical emergency, and the reports focus on his detention status, location, and the timeline leading up to his death.
