Police try to hold the line as protesters push the fences outside the Delaney Hall detention center. (AP Photo)A 41-year-old Salvadoran man being held at the Delaney Hall immigration detention centre in Newark, New Jersey, has died after suffering a medical emergency, marking the 22nd death in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this year.The incident has renewed scrutiny of the privately run facility, which has faced repeated allegations over conditions inside.According to CNN, Edwin Lopez-Cornejo was pronounced dead at Newark's University Hospital on August 2 after experiencing a medical emergency while in ICE custody.ICE said detention centre staff and medical personnel responded immediately and called emergency services, adding that the official cause of death is still under investigation.ICE details detention historyICE said Lopez-Cornejo first entered the US illegally in 2006 and was deported to El Salvador later that year. Authorities said he re-entered the country at an unknown date and was arrested in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 18 before being transferred to Delaney Hall pending removal proceedings.The agency maintained that Lopez-Cornejo received appropriate medical attention during his detention and said his family and the Salvadoran consulate had been informed of his death.ICE also reiterated that detainees are provided comprehensive medical care and emergency treatment whenever required.Mother recounts final conversationLopez-Cornejo's mother, María Cornejo, said her son had underlying health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures.Speaking to Spanish-language outlet Radio Jornalera NJ, she said he called her a day before his death complaining that part of his face and right hand had gone numb after visiting the facility's medical unit.She said hospital officials later informed her that her son had already died before arriving at the hospital. Describing him as a hardworking father who came to the US in search of work, she said she was left devastated by the loss.Facility under rising scrutinyLopez-Cornejo is the second detainee to die at Delaney Hall since the facility opened last year. The centre has been at the centre of controversy in recent months, with detainees staging hunger and labour strikes over alleged poor conditions, while protesters and elected officials have demanded greater oversight.New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said she was "deeply disturbed" by the death and called for a full accounting of the circumstances. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said the incident underscored concerns about the lack of oversight and transparency at the facility, renewing his call for its closure.The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey also demanded accountability from ICE and urged authorities to shut down Delaney Hall.Legal battle over inspectionsThe facility's operator, GEO Group, is facing a lawsuit from New Jersey's attorney general seeking to halt operations until state officials are allowed to carry out health inspections.The Department of Homeland Security has rejected allegations that conditions at the centre are inhumane, insisting the facility complies with applicable laws and regulations.The latest death comes as immigration detention practices continue to face heightened scrutiny, with advocates and lawmakers questioning conditions inside ICE facilities and the rising number of deaths in federal custody.