New Jersey has opened a civil-rights investigation into the Delaney Hall immigration detention centre in Newark after an ICE detainee died following a medical emergency. The inquiry increases scrutiny of the privately operated facility, where detainees and advocates have previously raised concerns about medical care and living conditions.

The detainee, Salvadoran national Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, was taken to hospital on Saturday and died the same day; ICE said he was 41, while relatives said he was 39. His family alleged that he had struggled to obtain medication for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures, while ICE said the official cause of death would follow further examination. Delaney Hall is operated by GEO Group and has been the subject of protests, a hunger strike and earlier state efforts to inspect conditions.