Lawyers seek public’s help in investigation of Haitian man’s death in ICE custody

NEWARK — Relatives of Jean Wilson Brutus, who died in December shortly after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New Jersey, has hired civil rights attorneys to launch an independent investigation and autopsy. The attorneys are seeking any help from the public to look into the “mysterious death” of Wilson, 41, which occurred during what reports indicate is the deadliest year for detainee deaths in two decades.

The move signals a direct challenge to the official narrative provided by federal authorities regarding the events at Delaney Hall, a privately operated detention center in Newark, where Brutus first fell ill.

“[The family] is turning to our firms because they have been unable to get answers from ICE regarding Mr. Brutus’ death,” the attorneys,  Oliver T. Barry and Joseph M. Champagne, said jointly in a press release last week.

“What they do know is that a perfectly healthy 41-year-old does not enter a safe, properly and professionally run detention facility and within less than a day is in a body bag.”

Brutus is the second Haitian person known to have died in ICE custody in 2025, according to the agency’s Detainee Death Reporting page. Their deaths occurred during what has become the deadliest year for ICE detainees in two decades, according to agency records analyzed by News media. In 2025, The Guardian reported, 32 people died in ICE custody, matching the previous record set in 2004.

The surge in fatalities comes as the agency ramped up detention to meet the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals, reaching nearly 70,000 people in custody by mid-December. Human rights groups point to the December figures as particularly alarming, noting that seven people died in that month alone, the deadliest single month of that year.

“We are committed to finding out what happened to him, not just for our family but for everyone in our country living in fear of masked federal agents coming to take them or their loved ones away from their homes and families,” the family said through the lawyers’ firm.

Challenging the ICE narrative 

The family expressed particular outrage over an ICE press release that used the headline “Criminal Illegal Alien Passes Away,” which portrays him as a habitual offender. Evans Belony, Brutus’s cousin, described the tone as “callous and heartless,” noting that Brutus had fled Haiti to escape the country’s escalating violence and was seeking safety in the United States by filing for asylum.

ICE and local agencies have not been forthcoming about the details of Brutus’s previous arrests in Elizabeth, sharing only that they involved trespassing and destruction of property.

By hiring the civil rights attorneys, the relatives aim to find out what happened to Wilson that day and scrutinize the policies of the GEO Group, the private company that operates Delaney Hall. The attorneys say they will look into staffing levels, personnel training and the quality of medical supervision provided to detainees.

The legal team has opened a call for evidence, urging anyone with information regarding the conditions at Delaney Hall or the specific circumstances of Brutus’s 24-hour detention to contact their offices at 609-729-1333.

In the meantime, the family has established a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral costs and the ongoing expenses of their legal pursuit for answers.

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