Four suspected illegal immigrants, referred to as “public safety threats,” escaped from federal authorities at a building used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark, New Jersey, as chaotic scenes erupted outside the facility on Thursday.
The escapees, identified as two Honduran and two Colombian nationals by the Department of Homeland Security, broke through a wall and escaped from the Delaney Hall detention center, the Associated Press reported. Detainees being held inside Delaney Hall reportedly became enraged over delayed meals, and protesters showed up at the detention center, pushing against the gates and attempting to block vehicles from passing through.
Delaney Hall is the same facility where Newark Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka, along with Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), were arrested during altercations with law enforcement after they attempted to storm into the building last month.
An attorney representing one of the suspected illegal immigrants being detained at Delaney Hall told the AP that the situation became violent on Thursday after meals for the detainees arrived hours later than normal.
“Apparently the guards lost control of them,” the attorney, Mustafa Cetin, said. “And they started to, you know, create a disturbance.”
On Friday, the DHS said it is offering $10,000 for information leading to the apprehension of the escapees, identified as Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes and Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez — both Honduran men — and Colombian men Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada and Andres Pineda-Mogollon. Homeland Security added that it has brought in “additional law enforcement partners” as they continue to search for the escapees.
DHS pushed back against reports claiming that an “uprising” was taking place at the detention facility.
“On June 12, four criminal illegal aliens breached security at Delaney Hall. Contrary to current reporting, there has been no widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall Detention facility,” Homeland Security said in a statement. “This privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including include around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs.”
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Bautista-Reyes was arrested by the Wayne Township, New Jersey, Police Department in May on charges of aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes. He crossed the border illegally in 2021, according to the DHS. Sandoval-Lopez, who entered the United States illegally in 2019, was arrested by the New Jersey Passaic Police Department last October for unlawful possession of a handgun. He was arrested again in February for aggravated assault.
Castaneda-Lozada, who has been living in the country illegally since 2022, was arrested in May by the New Jersey Hammonton Police Department for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary. Pineda-Mogollon, who the DHS says overstayed a tourist visa after entering the country in 2023, was nabbed by the New York City Police Department in April for petit larceny. He was arrested again in May by the Union, New Jersey, Police Department for residential burglary, conspiracy to commit residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.
SCOOP: The @nypost can report that these are the four ICE detainees who escaped from the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark yesterday. A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can help track them down.
Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes
An illegal alien from Honduras… pic.twitter.com/u6MNhmVaNs— Jennie Taer ????️ (@JennieSTaer) June 13, 2025
Delaney Hall, which is operated by the GEO Group, a private company, has been the center of protests since last month, as Democrats and activists claim that detainees at the 1,000-bed facility are subject to poor treatment. Democrats, such as Mayor Baraka, have attempted to gain entry to the facility, arguing that it “lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail — including local zoning laws and fundamental constitutional rights.”