HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Haitian detainee dies of blood clot one day into ICE custody at Newark facility

Jan 28, 2026·Location: Newark, NJ

Country of origin: Haiti

Haitian detainee dies of blood clot one day into ICE custody at Newark facility
Photo via Instagram

Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian man, died in December 2025 at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, less than a day after being detained. ICE initially said he experienced an unexplained "medical emergency" and attributed his death to "natural causes," but a medical examiner later determined he died from a pulmonary embolism. An ambulance transporting him to University Hospital was delayed by five minutes as officials prioritized allowing a van of new detainees into the facility. His death came amid widespread complaints from detainees at Delaney Hall about contaminated water, spoiled food, and inadequate medical care, and was one of at least two deaths at the facility and one of 23 deaths in ICE custody during the year.

Timeline

Jan 28, 2026—Medical examiner determines cause of death was pulmonary embolism, contradicting ICE's initial claim of natural causes
Dec 12, 2025—Jean Wilson Brutus dies at University Hospital after a medical emergency, roughly a day after being detained at Delaney Hall
Suggest a correction, comment, or update

Sources

More incidents in New Jersey