Landlord Wants To Cut Ties With NJ Immigrant Detention Center

After mounting public pressure, the owner of the building that houses an immigrant detention center in Elizabeth, NJ, says it is cutting ties with the private contractor that operates the facility. 

In an email to immigrant rights advocates on Tuesday, Elberon Development Group wrote it was ending its relationship with CoreCivic, that manages the Elizabeth Detention Center. Elberon, a real estate developer, wrote that it supports educational, religious and social organizations "in the community" and wants to see "its values mirrored" in its work. 

When reached on Tuesday, the company's chief financial officer Tony Pelosi said he had no comment. Other Elberon officials including CEO Dave Gibbons, did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment. 

It's unclear when CoreCivic's lease agreement with Elberon ends or whether the facility will close or relocate. CoreCivic manages several private detention centers across the country. The Elizabeth facility holds asylum seekers and other immigrant detainees facing deportation on behalf of U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE spokesman Emilio Dabul referred comment to CoreCivic, which declined to answer questions about its lease. In a statement, CoreCivic defended the service provided by its 125 employees at the facility. 

"It is disappointing that decisions like this are being based on false information spread by politically motivated special interests, who completely mischaracterize our company and the meaningful role we play in solving some of our country’s biggest challenges," the statement said. "In reality, we play a valued but limited role in America’s immigration system, which we have done for every administration – Democrat and Republican – for more than 35 years, including more than 20 years at the Elizabeth Detention Center." 

For years, the Elizabeth Detention Center has been the site of protests and vigils demanding the release of detainees. In May, immigrant advocates rallied in support of Hector Garcia Mendoza, a detainee who filed a class-action lawsuit against ICE and CoreCivic for keeping immigrants detained during the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility had at least 18 cases of COVID-19 among its detainees and a corrections officer there died of the disease.

Garcia Mendoza was deported back to Mexico four days after filing his suit and has not been heard from. 

In the last few weeks, advocates have ramped up calls on Elberon to end its lease with CoreCivic and create a fund for the children and families of those detained in the facility. There's also an online petition demanding Gibbons, Elberon's CEO, be removed as a Board of Trustee member for Kean University, that enrolls many undocumented immigrant students. 

UPDATE: In a statement on Thursday, Elberon Development Group said the company's attorneys were reviewing the lease with CoreCivic, to "determine the earliest termination date."