For more than a year, a network of community leaders has provided public witness, solidarity and mutual aid in support of detained immigrant neighbors and their families at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey.
Delaney Hall opened in May 2025 and is operated by the private prison corporation GEO Group under a 15-year $1 billion government contract. It is the largest detention center on the East Coast. Five miles from my convent, it has been on my radar for over a year but has just recently entered the national consciousness due to a courageous hunger and labor strike by those held captive behind its walls.
The Eyes on ICE NJ coalition includes a diverse collection of organizations: Catholics like the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace and Pax Christi New Jersey, other faith groups, peace organizations, earnest people from local community and political organizations and immigration advocates. Then there are just ordinary folks who are looking for a way to make a real difference in the face of the cruelty that is happening in our name.
Read full text of article by Sister Susan, "Magnificent humanity and shared responsibility at Delaney Hall," in Global Sisters Report.