José Chajón-Raxón, a Guatemalan immigrant, died after suffering what DHS described as 'seizure-like activity' while detained at Delaney Hall, the ICE facility in Newark. He is the third person to die after being held there since it reopened in May 2025. ICE says it arrested him, brought him to Delaney Hall on July 18, then released him from custody on July 22, four days before his death became public.
DHS has not said what happened between his hospitalization and his death, including whether he was still in the hospital when he died. The department cites a policy change, reversing a Biden-era rule, under which ICE no longer reports deaths occurring within 30 days of release from custody. Representative Rob Menendez calls this a loophole that lets ICE avoid investigating or disclosing deaths simply by releasing people first.
Delaney Hall has already drawn scrutiny over the deaths of Edwin López-Cornejo and Jean Wilson Brutus, plus hunger strikes by hundreds of detainees over alleged abuse and spoiled food. More than 50 people have died in ICE custody nationwide since Trump took office. ICE maintains detainees receive appropriate medical care.
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