A 41-year-old undocumented Haitian man died after he was in federal custody at the controversial immigrant detention center, Delaney Hall per The Jersey Vindicator.
On Dec 11, Jean Wilson Brutus suffered a medical emergency on the day he was transferred to the Newark facility. The following day — Dec 12 — he was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. He is the first Delaney Hall detainee to die in ICE custody, according to immigrant advocate groups.
According to ICE agents, Brutus was not in distress when he was being admitted to Delaney Hall and had no medical history of cardiovascular issues. The believe Brutus died of natural causes, per NJ.com.
“EMS performed life-saving measures and transported Brutus to University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, and later the hospital pronounced him deceased on Dec. 12. All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screenings within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility,” ICE officials wrote in a statement.
ICE said that Brutus was living in the U.S. illegally and had a criminal record for arrests on criminal mischief and trespassing.
Brutus’ death sparked calls from activists and prominent Democrats who insisted that the embattled facility should be closed.
“I‘m furious that this has happened,” said Alison Perkon, a volunteer with “Eyes on ICE, a group that regularly pickets outside Delaney Hall. ”I’ve been protesting at Delaney Hall since the facility opened in May, and have said repeatedly that someone was going to die here soon. Every time I’d hear about another death in ICE custody, my stomach would drop in fear that it was someone at Delaney Hall. (Last week), that fear was realized. There’s a saying among volunteers outside the facility: ‘The cruelty is the point’. Mr. Brutus’ untimely and unnecessary death, along with the others who have died in ICE custody proves it.”
Rep. Menendez added that detainees are “not receiving adequate medical attention.”
“The dozens of people we met with are sick. People are coughing. The food situation continues to be horrible,” said Menendez.
Advocates for immigrants say this facility, operated by the GEO Group on a $1 billion contract, is in place to make money.
“There’s a twisted marriage between an administration hell-bent on enacting a racist mass deportation agenda and one of the largest private prison corporations in the world,” said Amy Torres, the director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
This is the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, the fourth this past week at ICE facilities across the country.