What led to ICE detainee’s untimely death?

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee from Haiti suffered a medical emergency at the Newark detention center where he was being held and later died at a hospital, federal officials confirmed Thursday.

According to ICE, 41-year-old Jean Wilson Brutus entered its custody more than a week ago, on Dec. 11, after he was released from a Union County, Elizabeth, jail on criminal trespassing charges.

Brutus had no signs of distress during his intake, nor a medical history of cardiovascular issues when he entered ICE custody, the agency says.

ICE didn’t describe the nature of the emergency it says he experienced while at the facility, nor did it say exactly when it happened. Local EMS were called and took him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Brutus is believed to have died from natural causes, ICE said. Read the full statement here.

With more than 1,000 beds, Delaney Hall is among the largest immigration detention sites in the country. It made headlines over the spring and summer with a series of, and fallout from, protests and high-profile arrests.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested outside Delaney Hall during one of those spring protests, said news of Brutus’ passing was “distressing and brings up a host of disturbing questions.”

“I didn’t know Mr. Brutus, nor do I know the circumstances of his death, but I do know the pain of losing a loved one,” he added. “I extend my condolences to his grieving family and loved ones. They have my heart.”