Detainee dies at Delaney Hall, the Newark ICE facility

Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haiti national who was detained at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, died on Dec. 12, prompting new scrutiny on conditions at the private prison and calls for an independent investigation.

U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement said Brutus died from “suspected natural causes” one day after entering the facility, in a statement released six days after his death. Brutus was one of four immigrants who died in ICE custody in the past week, according to the agency.

“While at Delaney Hall Detention Facility,” the agency stated, “he experienced a medical emergency and local Emergency Medical Services was called. EMS performed lifesaving measures and transported Brutus to University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, and later the hospital pronounced him deceased on Dec. 12.”

Brutus showed “no signs of distress during intake nor a medical history of cardiovascular issues,” according to ICE.

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Advocates said ICE failed to meet its own reporting standards that require the agency to publicly report a death in custody within two business days. They raised concerns about what they describe as a pattern of inadequate medical care at the facility, where activists have gathered daily to protest conditions.

“When individuals are detained, the government assumes full responsibility for their safety and well-being,” said Sally Pillay, executive director of the Mami Chelo Foundation. “The ‘Eyes on ICE’ activists have been outside daily, and we have seen repeated medical emergencies, delayed care, and now a death at Delaney Hall. This demonstrates a systemic failure, not isolated incidents.”

Brutus had entered the United States illegally on June 20, 2023, according to ICE. The agency said that he obtained parole, a status that allows a non-citizen temporary entry for urgent humanitarian reasons.

On Nov. 28, 2025, the Elizabeth Police Department arrested Brutus for two counts of criminal mischief related to property damage, according to ICE. The agency said he had prior arrests for criminal mischief.

The agency’s statement did not offer “real information” about what happened or the care he received, advocates said. ICE is required to make all reports regarding in-custody deaths public within 90 days.

ICE also wrote that “comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay” and that “at no time during detention is a detained alien denied emergency care.”

The GEO Group, the private prison company that owns Delaney Hall, referred comment to ICE.

Delany Hall controversies

Delaney Hall — holding 855 detainees as of late November, according to federal data — has been mired in controversy since its opening in May.

The city of Newark sued the GEO Group in April after it said the company failed to obtain city permits, refused city inspectors, and allegedly violated local codes for renovations, which the company argued it does not need as a federal government contractor.

In June, detainees rioted over what they called inadequate food and other conditions. Four detainees escaped during the unrest, breaking through a drywall section to get outside. All were eventually captured within weeks.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said Brutus’ death was “distressing” and “brings up a host of disturbing questions.”

“Newark’s documented history of Geo Group and ICE’s complete lack of transparency, and their demonstrated disregard for laws that ensure the safety and well-being of the detainees, tempts some disgusting speculation on the immorality of stripping human beings of their innate dignity,” Baraka said.  

“I extend my condolences to his grieving family and loved ones. They have my heart.”

Three other immigrants from Nicaragua, Eritrea and Bulgaria also died in ICE detention between December 12 and 15, the agency reported in detainee death notifications. They were among more than 30 immigrants who died in ICE custody in 2025.

President Donald Trump has pushed for the mass deportation of immigrants in the United States illegally and has vastly expanded ICE detention to hold both criminal and non-criminal immigrant detainees. About 66,000 people were in custody as of late November — a record high according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which compiles data on immigration enforcement.

Advocacy groups and progressive lawmakers have raised concerns about alleged medical neglect, oversight and treatment of detainees in detention centers around the country. U.S. Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey native Democrat, said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned" about Brutus' death and "inhumane conditions" at Delaney Hall. He noted that he introduced legislation in Congress to end the use of these private prisons for the detention of immigrants.

"There must be a clear accounting of what happened in this tragedy, and Delaney Hall must be closed so that this stain can be removed from our community of Newark," Booker said.