NJ Muslim Rights Group Is Collecting Ramadan Donations For Delaney Hall Detainees

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Just because you’re in ICE custody doesn’t mean your freedom of religion should be tossed out the window, one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in the nation says.

The New Jersey Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) recently launched a Ramadan outreach campaign for detainees imprisoned at Delaney Hall in Newark.

Ramadan is expected to begin on the evening of Feb. 17 this year.

CAIR-NJ is holding a fundraising drive to purchase religious items for Muslim detainees, including Qur’ans, prayer mats and detention-compliant hijabs. Learn more or make a donation here.

“Detention often strips people of comfort, routine, and connection,” advocates say. “For Muslim detainees, the ability to pray properly, read Qur’an, and observe their faith provides solace, structure, and hope. These items offer more than religious observance; they are a source of peace, identity and strength in the face of uncertainty.”

The group held a similar donation drive last year for inmates at another nearby prison: the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark.

CAIR-NJ said that a Muslim detainee recently released from Delaney Hall reported having difficulty getting ahold of these religious materials, as well as access to an imam.

“As we approach the holy month of Ramadan — a sacred period of fasting, prayer, and spiritual reflection for Muslims — Delaney Hall and other ICE detention facilities across our nation have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that detained Muslims can practice their faith with dignity,” executive director Selaedin Maksut said.

“This includes granting them access to prayer space, Qur’ans, religious literature, prayer mats, chaplaincy services and appropriate meals before dawn and after sunset,” Maksut added.

Spokespeople for Delaney Hall – which is run by the GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the world – have repeatedly said that detainees in their custody have “around-the-clock access” to practice their religious beliefs.

Detainees’ religious and specialty diets are also accommodated, the company says.

All of the GEO Group’s ICE processing centers are independently accredited by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, spokespeople say.

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