While activists and Democratic lawmakers paint Delaney Hall as some sort of modern-day dungeon rife with maggots and misery, a firsthand tour by a New Jersey congressman reveals a very different picture—one complete with yoga sessions, a top-tier gym, and three hot meals a day.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) visited the Newark ICE detention center this week and came away impressed by the conditions inside the 1,000-bed facility operated by a private contractor. His observations stand in stark contrast to the outrage machine churning out tales of inhumane treatment from those eager to score political points against immigration enforcement.
Far from the deprivation narrative, detainees enjoy access to full soccer fields, an excellent gym that Van Drew described as superior to the one in his own Washington, D.C., apartment building, and even yoga classes featuring lavender and tangerine aromatherapy for a calming effect. The workouts, held in the lecture hall, incorporate meditation and mindfulness, drawing on practices used in other correctional settings.
“They’ve got a squat machine, they’ve got a machine for bench pressing. Also a fly, reverse fly. Leg machines, all the stuff you have in a real full-service gym,” Van Drew reported. He noted the facility provides computers, iPads, a library with legal references, and special dietary accommodations for diabetics, kosher, and halal observers.
The food drew particular praise. “Three good hot meals a day … from scrambled eggs to — I mean, all in one meal — to bacon and toast and muffins and fruit,” the lawmaker said, contrasting it favorably with his own simple lunches of pretzels. No worms, no flies, and an immaculate environment overall, he added after inspecting nearly every corner.
This reality check comes amid heated protests outside the facility, where demonstrators have clashed with law enforcement and pushed claims of spoiled food and unsanitary conditions. Some Democratic visitors, including Reps. Jerold Nadler and Adriano Espaillat, echoed those accusations.
Yet Van Drew’s tour, along with reports of improvements noted even by critics, suggests the outrage may have more to do with politics than actual circumstances.
Private operator GEO Group has long offered wellness programming at Delaney Hall, including the yoga and meditation sessions designed to promote physical health and stress reduction. Detainees reportedly leave feeling relaxed yet energized, with access to dayrooms for additional movement and leisure activities like dominoes and card games.
Of course, no detention facility is a resort, nor should it be. These individuals are there for a reason—often involving violations of immigration law during a time when border security has been a national priority. The left’s reflexive defense of open borders and aversion to enforcement leads to this predictable cycle: decry every attempt at order as cruelty, inflate minor issues into scandals, and ignore the broader failures of a system strained by years of lax policies.
Van Drew, who previously chaired a prison gang task force in the New Jersey Senate, knows a thing or two about correctional environments. His willingness to declare the conditions decent—and even offer a lie detector test to back it up—cuts through the political theater. Meanwhile, some colleagues have admitted recent improvements while still fixating on processing delays.
The irony abounds. Progressive lawmakers who champion “humane” treatment suddenly recoil at basic fitness and wellness offerings when they serve the cause of immigration control. If yoga and a solid gym are marks of oppression, one wonders what standard they apply to actual American citizens in underfunded state facilities or the chaos at the southern border itself.
This is a manufactured crisis. Order, truth, and stewardship matter—especially when political ambition seeks to undermine them.
Delaney Hall isn’t perfect, but the evidence from those willing to look beyond the headlines points to competent management amid difficult circumstances. The real scandal remains the willingness of some to weaponize detainees and protests against lawful enforcement, all while the American people demand secure borders and accountability. Van Drew’s tour offers a dose of reality in a debate drowning in rhetoric.
