4 escapees from New Jersey immigrant detention facility sought

Featured, USA13 hours ago2 Views

“This entire situation lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail – including local zoning laws and fundamental constitutional rights,” Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka wrote on X.

New Jersey officials are currently looking for four detainees who escaped from the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility in Newark, the Department of Homeland Security told USA TODAY.

“DHS has become aware of 4 detainees at the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility escaping,” officials said. “Additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees and a BOLO (be on the lookout bulletin) has been disseminated.”

The four, according to DHS, are: Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes of Honduras, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez of Honduras, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada of Colombia and Andres Pineda-Mogollon of Colombia.

Charges against them include aggravated assault and burglary. Homeland Security officials are offering $10,000 for information leading to their arrest.

The detention center they escaped from has been the subject of continuous complaints due to the alleged unsuitable conditions inside the facility.

Various immigration rights groups said detainees have protested over insufficient food and other poor conditions at the facility. Unrest led to a large law enforcement response on Thursday, June 12, and groups said there were reports of agents deploying tear gas and pepper spray.

The 1,196-bed Delaney Hall is the first immigrant detention facility to open during the second term of President Donald Trump, the Bergen Record, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

What to know about the four?

The Trump administration has said it is administering its immigration crackdown to deport criminals from the country and charges against the four include felony charges.

Bautista-Reyes enetere the country illegally in 2021, according to DHS, and was arrested in May by New Jersey police for aggravated assault and terroristic threats.

Pineda-Mogollon was arrested twice, DHS said. New York City Police arrested him in 2025 for petit larceny, a misdemeanor for small-time theft. Police in New Jersey arrested him in 2025 for residential burglary, a felony charge.

Sandoval-Lopez was also arrested twice. He entered the country illegally as a minor in 2019, according to DHS. Passaic New Jersey police arrested him in 2024 for unlawful possession of a handgun and in 2025 for aggravated assault.

Newark mayor: ‘We must put an end to this chaos’

In a post on X, Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka referenced the escaped detainees while criticizing the conditions inside the detention facility.

“This entire situation lacks sufficient oversight of every basic detail – including local zoning laws and fundamental constitutional rights,” Baraka said. “We must put an end to this chaos and not allow this operation to continue unchecked.”

Federal immigration agents arrested Baraka on May 9 and charged him with trespassing when he went to visit Delaney Hall. The charge was later dropped.

“I didn’t go there to break any laws, I didn’t break any laws,” Baraka said at the time of the incident. “I was there as the mayor of the city, exercising my right and duty as an elected official.”

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.