Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national detained at a Newark immigration facility earlier this month, died while in custody last Friday, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In a press release, ICE officials said Brutus died of “suspected natural causes” due to a medical emergency at Delaney Hall, ICE’s facility in Newark. They said EMS performed life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the University Hospital in Newark. Brutus is the first detainee to die in custody at Delaney Hall.
The press release stated that Elizabeth police have arrested Brutus for trespassing several times since 2024 and that ICE detained him on Dec. 11 after property damage charges. ICE claimed Brutus showed no signs of distress while being taken into custody and that he did not possess a history of cardiovascular issues.
Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility in the industrial zone of Newark, has served as the focal point for New Jersey Democrats’ battle against federal immigration authorities since its opening in May. The private prison company GEO Group operates Delaney Hall; before the facility even opened, the city of Newark sued GEO Group, alleging the company hadn’t secured the proper permits. The Trump administration claims facilities like Delaney Hall are full of dangerous criminals, but ICE statistics have shown that the majority of detainees have no criminal convictions.
The lawsuit is ongoing. Attorneys for Newark and GEO Group have met before a federal judge for settlement talks several times in recent months. Those discussions, however, are closed to the public, and the status of the case remains unclear.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who has pushed the lawsuit and led protests at the facility, extended his condolences to Brutus’ family in a statement criticizing GEO Group and ICE.
“The announcement of Jean Wilson Brutus having a medical emergency while detained at Delaney Hall and then passing away at the hospital is distressing, and brings up a host of disturbing questions,” Baraka said. “Newark’s documented history of Geo Group and I.C.E.’s complete lack of transparency, and their demonstrated disregard for laws that ensure the safety and wellbeing of the detainees, tempts some disgusting speculation on the immorality of stripping human beings of their innate dignity.”
Advocacy groups like the ACLU of New Jersey called for an independent investigation into Brutus’ death. The ACLU-NJ said ICE is required to disclose detainee deaths within two business days — instead, a full week passed before officials announced Brutus’ death. ICE did not immediately return a request for comment.
Baraka was arrested and charged with trespassing at Delaney Hall after an official had invited him onto the premises. Those charges were later dropped, but former interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba instead charged Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark), who was at the facility for an oversight visit, with assaulting law enforcement officers during the scuffle of Baraka’s arrest. She denies those charges, and in a statement today said Brutus’ death is not an “isolated incident.”
“The Trump administration has shown a complete disregard for human rights, human dignity, and human life. This tragedy is not an isolated incident, and we have seen neglect, abuse, and cruelty from this administration as they strip people of the rights this country affords everyone, including those in detention. This incident demands immediate answers,” McIver said. “We’ve heard about ICE detainees across the country being denied treatment and medication. I want to know exactly what happened, the circumstances of this individual’s confinement and treatment, and what care he did or did not receive.”
The Trump administration has sought to require members of Congress to notify immigration officials of oversight visits a week ahead of time, despite federal statutes that permit oversight without notice. A federal judge barred the Trump administration from requiring such notices in a ruling earlier this week.
Senator Andy Kim visited Delaney Hall earlier this week and renewed his demands for the closure of the facility. His colleague, Senator Cory Booker, released a statement on Friday, accusing federal officials of resisting oversight at Delaney Hall.
“For months, I have condemned the inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall and the mismanagement of this facility by its private operator, GEO Group – and now this tragic death has compounded the long and grotesque list of atrocities the GEO Group is committing,” Booker said in the statement. “The Department of Homeland Security’s continued refusal to comply with appropriate oversight of this facility and the GEO Group’s abuses are totally unacceptable.”
