Federal authorities confirmed on Sunday that two of the four detainees who escaped from the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey, have been recaptured, while the search continues for the remaining fugitives.
The FBI identified the recaptured individuals as Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez and Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, both of whom were taken into custody over the weekend. Officials have not disclosed the circumstances or locations of their arrests.
The men were among four detainees who escaped the facility last week by breaking through an interior wall and breaching an exterior wall before fleeing via the parking lot, according to Homeland Security officials and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.). The escape coincided with reports of unrest inside the facility and protests outside the gates.
Still at large are Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes and Andres Felipe Pineda-Mogollon. Both, along with the other two escapees, were reportedly in the United States illegally and faced criminal charges in New Jersey and New York.
Sandoval-Lopez, a Honduran national, had been charged with unlawful possession of a handgun in October and aggravated assault in February. Castaneda-Lozada, from Colombia, faced charges including burglary, theft, and conspiracy.
Bautista-Reyes, also from Honduras, was charged in May with aggravated assault, attempted bodily harm, making terroristic threats, and weapons violations. Pineda-Mogollon, a Colombian national, had been charged with larceny and burglary-related crimes.
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of each of the two men still at large.
Delaney Hall, operated by GEO Group under contract with federal authorities, has been the center of growing controversy in recent months. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and other local officials have called for greater oversight of the facility, citing concerns over detainee treatment and facility conditions.
On Thursday night, as the escape unfolded, protesters outside the detention center reportedly clashed with security forces, locking arms and pushing barricades while vehicles moved in and out of the compound. The GEO Group has denied reports of widespread unrest, calling the facility “secure and well-managed.”
Mayor Baraka, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, was previously arrested at the facility in May and charged with trespassing — a charge that was later dropped. U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver also faces charges stemming from a confrontation with federal officers outside the site. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Authorities continue to urge the public to provide any tips that could help locate Bautista-Reyes and Pineda-Mogollon, warning that both men may be armed and dangerous.
