Haitian Asylum Seeker Dies One Day After Entering ICE Custody at Newark Detention Center

The death of Jean Wilson Brutus has once again exposed the human cost of ICE detention and the lack of answers families face when loved ones die in federal custody. Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian asylum seeker, died just one day after being taken into ICE custody and placed inside Delaney Hall in Newark. His family says he was healthy when he entered detention and is now demanding transparency, accountability, and justice.

“We haven’t had some kind of closure surrounding his death,” said his cousin, Evans Belony, who described Brutus as “like a brother.” According to Belony, “He did not have any medical conditions previously and he entered into ICE custody healthy.” Yet on Dec. 12, ICE says Brutus experienced what it called “a medical emergency” and later died at a local hospital after emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures.

For Brutus’ family, the explanation raises more questions than answers. “The fundamental issue in this case is that Jean Wilson Brutus was taken into ICE custody alive and turned out dead,” said family attorney Joseph Makhandal Champagne. “Knowing that he came in alive, knowing that he came in well, without any signs of medical distress or issues,” Champagne said, the family is now exploring legal options.

ICE maintains that Brutus “had no signs of distress during intake nor a medical history of cardiovascular issues,” a statement that only deepens concern about what happened inside the facility. Advocates argue that detention centers routinely fail to protect the physical and mental health of people in their custody, particularly those already experiencing trauma.

Belony said his cousin was grieving deeply after losing his mother. “He became very depressed and very sad,” he explained. Despite this vulnerability, Brutus was detained after being released from a county jail on a property-related charge. “He came into the country seeking asylum,” Belony said. “And he was under our care.”

The facility itself has been the site of repeated controversy, prompting protests and renewed calls for its closure. Demonstrators gathered outside Delaney Hall holding signs and echoing the family’s demands. “We do want transparency, we do want accountability, we do want justice,” Belony said.

Brutus’ death adds to a growing list of cases that raise serious concerns about whether ICE detention centers can keep people safe, or whether they continue to place lives at risk behind closed doors.

Link: NBCNewYork

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