Overview:
Relatives of Jean Wilson Brutus, who died just 24 hours after entering ICE custody in Newark’s Delaney Hall, are hiring a private firm for an independent autopsy. The move comes amid a national firestorm over immigration enforcement that has led to numerous fatalities, with advocacy groups demanding that federal authorities stop using misleading rhetoric to justify aggressive maneuvers.
“He was never kicked out, so therefore he is not homeless,” his cousin Evans Beloni said.
NEWARK — A month after Jean Wilson Brutus died within hours of entering ICE custody in Newark, his family is seeking an independent autopsy to put to rest questions they have about the sudden death immigration authorities first said appeared “natural,” then due to “unknown” causes and finally “inconclusive.”
Brutus’s relatives say they cannot find closure until they have a clear accounting of what occurred inside the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark on Dec. 12.
“We need another autopsy because we need clarity on what happened,” his cousin Evans Beloni. “The official one was inconclusive.”
“He was not homeless,” family says
Originally from Croix-des-Bouquets, Brutus’s journey to New Jersey spanned years. He first left Haiti for Brazil in 2018 in search of opportunities. In 2023, he entered the United States through the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program.
When he arrived, Brutus went to live with cousins in Irvington, a town with an estimated 8,000 Haitians as of 2020. The family says he had his room in the home, one they say is still waiting for him.
However, in the immediate aftermath of Brutus’s death, a few residents also posted online that they were surprised to learn he had family since they saw him frequently near Elizabeth Street, sometimes sleeping on the pavement.
In a video posted on social media soon after the death, local Laviolette Rodemanie, recounted approaching him.
“Every time my family and I asked him if he needed help, he said ‘no,’” she said. “Now that he’s gone, he suddenly has family? We are asking for justice, but we never helped him when he was in need.”
In its news release about Brutus’s death, ICE also focused on Brutus’s history of minor trespassing arrests, labeling him a “criminal alien.” ICE officials painted him as a vagrant “criminal alien” who had been arrested before on trespassing.
ICE News Release: Detainee Death Notification
Subject: Jean Wilson Brutus (41)
Date: December 12, 2025
Location: Newark, New Jersey
Haitian national Jean Wilson Brutus passed away at University Hospital following a medical emergency at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility. Brutus had been taken into ICE custody on Dec. 11.
Joseph Makhandal Champagne, Jr., the Brutus family’s attorney, emphasized that such labels and a person’s possible criminal history is a distraction from protecting fundamental rights.
“He had a legal asylum application that was in progress,” Champagne said. “Being in custody of an official does not negate one’s right to life, the right to medical care, and the right to dignity.”
Joseph Makhandal Champagne Jr., Esq., attorney for the family of Jean Wilson Brutus
National tensions over “misleading narratives”
Lack of transparency in Brutus’s death is part of a larger national conversation about the Department of Homeland Security allowing ICE, which it oversees, to use heavy-handed tactics to meet mass deportation goals. The death marks the second time this year that a Haitian person has died in ICE custody and comes amid growing concern over aggressive enforcement actions, prompting calls for deeper investigations.
In April 2025, Marie Ange Blaise died in ICE custody in Florida.
On Jan. 7, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, 37, in Minneapolis. An operation in Portland the following day left two people wounded, according to the Associated Press.
Advocates have denounced federal authorities’ public characterizations of such events.
Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, criticized the focus on Brutus’s minor charges.
“Nothing that’s listed in that press release amounts to something that should become a death sentence,” Torres said in a report by The Monitor about Brutus’ death.
On Jan. 8, the New York Immigration Coalition issued a rebuke of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing her of “spouting lies” and using “misleading narratives” to erode sanctuary city protections for immigrants.
New York Immigration Coalition President Murad Awawdeh argued that these tactics are designed to “incite fear among residents” and justify inhumane political agendas. Advocates point to studies showing that sanctuary jurisdictions actually experience fewer crimes than those without such policies.
Charnette Frederic Irvington Councilmember
Irvington Councilmember Charnette Frederic has expressed frustration over the lack of transparency.
“The most important thing for me… is finding transparency and accountability and giving the family the closure they are in need of,” Frederic said.
She has since coordinated with Congresswoman LaMonica McIver to seek a formal explanation from DHS about the medical screening process at Delaney Hall.
The Haitian Times reached out to ICE and the Essex County Medical Examiner’s Office; neither returned messages regarding Brutus’s cause of death.
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