The family of a Haitian man who died just a day after being detained inside a North Jersey federal immigration facility says they still have no answers about what happened to him.Jean Wilson Brutus, 41, died on Dec. 12 while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at Delaney Hall in Newark. His family independently ordered an autopsy, as they wait for federal officials to release an official report on his death. ICE has 90 days to publish a report on Brutus’s death under a federal law from 2018, according to Homeland Security. ICE has no new information on its investigation into Brutus’s death, an agency spokesperson said.While awaiting an official report from ICE about Brutus’s death, his family is urging congressional lawmakers to scrutinize procedures and policies at Delaney Hall regarding interactions with detainees.“It’s the family’s hope that they undertake an investigation and hearings both into ICE and their practices generally,” said Oliver Barry, one of the attorneys representing Brutus’s family. Brutus’ family hired Barry and attorney Joseph Champagne to independently investigate his death. The attorneys said they intend to gather evidence by obtaining medical records, studying autopsy results and are searching for witnesses.“We are looking to locate individuals who may have been inside the facility and either saw or heard things at around the time of the adverse event that led to Mr. Brutus’s death,” Barry said.Roughly one day after arriving at Delaney Hall, Brutus suffered a “medical emergency,” ICE said previously. He was brought to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead.Brutus’ death sparked an outcry from Democratic lawmakers who have opposed the detention facility and renewed calls for greater transparency in its daily operations. “It’s devastating, it’s tragic,” said Evans Belony, Brutus’s cousin with whom he resided in Irvington, Essex County. “We’re grieving this process. It’s a long process, and it’s...a big burden on our hearts.”Brutus, an only child, worked as a security official at a Haitian hospital, Belony said. He sought asylum in the U.S. to flee escalating gang violence in the island nation. As unrest on the island worsened, Brutus first fled to Brazil, supporting himself as a worker in a chicken processing factory, Belony said.Brutus traveled through South America on foot and by public transit before reaching Texas. From there, he flew to New Jersey to begin formal immigration proceedings, Belony said.Weeks after reaching the U.S., Brutus’s mother died of a heart attack in Haiti. For years, Brutus relied on her guidance after his father died years earlier, Belony said.“He believed in hard work,” Belony said. “He wasn’t the person who likes to sit down and be a couch potato.”ICE previously said Brutus entered the U.S. illegally in 2023, passing through a point of entry in Texas. However, he was allowed to remain in the U.S. while waiting to appear before an immigration judge. ICE officials detained Brutus after being arrested five times, according to Homeland Security. Those arrests stemmed from Brutus being ordered to leave areas outside at least three buildings on East Jersey Street in Elizabeth, according to criminal complaints reviewed by NJ Advance Media. After being charged with trespassing, Brutus was accused of returning to the area and using bricks to damage windows, according to two affidavits of probable cause. Two instances of alleged mischief caused approximately $5,500 in damages, police affidavits state.All charges against him were disorderly persons offenses and third and fourth degree crimes, police records state.Charging papers identify Brutus as being homeless, though his family maintains their homes were always available to him. His fifth arrest led to ICE to detain Brutus. His family only learned that he was arrested by immigration agents after his death, Belony said.“My understanding is that after the recent death of a parent, he was distraught and may have been having a hard time dealing with that loss,” Barry said.In a previous statement on Brutus’s death, ICE said detainees routinely receive medical screenings within 12 hours of arriving detention facilities. A full health assessment is performed within 14 days of entering ICE custody.ICE never denies an inmate medical care, the agency said.