Family Of Jean Wilson Brutus Starts GoFundMe After ICE Death

The family of Jean Wilson Brutus, the 41-year-old who died in ICE custody last December, have started a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs of their deceased loved one.

Brutus was a Haitian asylum-seeker who was detained by ICE at Delaney Hall in Newark on Dec. 11. The next day, he suffered from a “medical emergency” and was taken to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

ICE officials stated that Brutus showed “no signs of distress” when he entered their custody but said he died from “suspected natural causes.” The family has retained two New Jersey civil rights law firms to investigate the circumstances surrounding Brutus’s death.

“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,” the family’s attorneys said in a statement.

Brutus’s family is raising money to cover funeral and memorial services for their loved one. As of Jan. 27, the fundraiser has raised over $13,000.

“Jean may have lived quietly, but his life and his story have touched the world. With your help, we can ensure that he is remembered not only for the mystery surrounding his death, but for who he truly was, a gentle soul who deserved safety, dignity, and care,” the family said on its GoFundMe page.

Evans Belony, Brutus’s cousin with whom he lived in Irvington, described him as “a kind and gentle soul who was always there when someone needed help.” Belony said Brutus “left Haiti for America because he was living in fear, in a war zone. He came in search of safety, stability, and the American Dream, believing that hard work, decency, and compassion still mattered.”

According to reporting by NorthJersey.com, Brutus had an asylum application and a “pending court date.”

Brutus’s death occurred within a four-day span where four detainees died in ICE custody. The deaths took place between December 12 and December 15, 2025, sparking alarm among advocates and members of Congress. December became the deadliest month for people in ICE custody in 2025, with seven deaths reported.

“The announcement of Jean Wilson Brutus having a medical emergency while detained at Delaney Hall and then passing away at the hospital is distressing, and brings up a host of disturbing questions,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in a statement at the time of Brutus’s death.

ICE officials have come under fire from Democrats and Republicans in the aftermath of killing Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot multiple times and killed by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24 during protests against immigration enforcement operations.