A 41-year-old Salvadoran migrant died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), renewing criticism of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies and prompting fresh calls for greater oversight of the country's immigration detention system.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Monday that Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died on Aug. 1 after suffering what officials described only as a "medical emergency" while being held at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.

According to ICE, Lopez-Cornejo was transported to University Hospital in Newark, where he was later pronounced dead.

Agency data indicates that Lopez-Cornejo is the 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year, intensifying concerns among immigrant rights organizations over conditions inside detention centers as the Trump administration continues to expand immigration enforcement operations nationwide.

Lopez-Cornejo, originally from El Salvador, first entered the United States in 2006. He was arrested by ICE agents in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18 and transferred to Delaney Hall while awaiting deportation.

His mother, Maria Cornejo, disputed the circumstances surrounding his detention, telling local media that her son had been legally employed since 2022 and attempted to present a valid work permit when immigration officers detained him.

She said she was unable to visit him because she is not a U.S. citizen and only communicated with him by telephone during his detention.

"I never got to see him. He didn't get to see his daughter for six weeks," she said. "When we told her what happened, she let out a big scream and hasn't been the same since. She can't sleep or eat. Neither can I."

"I never imagined he would die in that place. I'm just destroyed. I have so much hurt in my heart," she added.

Lopez-Cornejo's death has drawn renewed attention to Delaney Hall, a privately operated immigration detention center that has faced repeated allegations over detainee treatment.

In recent months, the facility has been the focus of protests and legal complaints involving allegations of physical abuse by guards, deteriorating living conditions, inadequate medical care, and spoiled food.

In late May, approximately 300 detainees launched a hunger and labor strike demanding improved conditions, while women held in another section of the facility later organized a separate hunger strike calling for the release of vulnerable detainees, including young women, mothers, and individuals with serious medical conditions.

Immigrant advocacy organizations argue that the protests reflect broader concerns over conditions throughout the U.S. immigration detention system as enforcement operations have intensified.

The latest death has fueled criticism of the Trump administration's immigration policies, with opponents arguing that aggressive detention and deportation measures have placed increasing numbers of migrants into facilities already facing longstanding allegations of inadequate oversight and medical care.

Critics contend that expanded immigration raids and increased reliance on detention have strained facilities while exposing detainees to heightened risks.

Following ICE's announcement, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka renewed his demand that Delaney Hall be closed immediately.

In a statement, Baraka accused both ICE and the facility's private operator, GEO Group, of failing to ensure transparency and accountability.

"Geo Group and ICE have repeatedly demonstrated a disregard for transparency, public oversight and the laws designed to protect the health, safety and dignity of those in their custody," Baraka said.

"When accountability is absent, tragedies become all too common."

Baraka urged federal authorities to provide a full accounting of Lopez-Cornejo's death and reiterated calls for the detention center's permanent closure.

The incident is expected to intensify the national debate over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement strategy, with civil rights groups demanding independent investigations into deaths in ICE custody and broader reforms to the U.S. immigration detention system. (ILKHA)