By Felicia J. Persaud
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Dec. 30, 2025: Four immigrants from Haiti, Bulgaria, Nicaragua, and Eritrea have died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE), custody within a matter of days this month, according to official detainee death notifications released by the agency.
Masked federal agents walk in a hallway at the New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York on December 22, 2025. US President Donald Trump has made deporting undocumented immigrants a key priority for his second term, after successfully campaigning against an alleged “invasion” by criminals. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
The deaths, which occurred at detention facilities or nearby hospitals in New Jersey, Michigan, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, have been reported by ICE in compliance with federal requirements mandating public disclosure of in-custody deaths within 90 days.
ICE stated that all four cases are either attributed to suspected natural causes or remain under investigation, with notifications made to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the relevant foreign consulates.
Haitian National Dies in New Jersey Detention Facility
On December 12th, ICE reported the death of Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national who was detained at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, New Jersey. According to ICE, Brutus entered custody on December 11th following his release from Union County Jail, where he had been held on charges related to criminal mischief and prior arrests for criminal trespassing.
ICE said Brutus experienced a medical emergency shortly after entering detention. Emergency medical services were called, and he was transported to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced deceased the following day. ICE stated that Brutus had shown no signs of distress during intake and had no documented history of cardiovascular illness.
Bulgarian Detainee Found Unresponsive in Michigan
Three days later, on December 15th, Nenko Stanev Gantchev, a 56-year-old citizen of Bulgaria, died at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan. ICE reported that Gantchev was discovered unresponsive during routine checks and that medical staff and emergency responders attempted resuscitation efforts before a physician pronounced him deceased.
Gantchev had entered the United States in 1995 on a J-1 exchange visitor visa and later obtained lawful permanent resident status, which was subsequently denied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. An immigration judge ordered his removal in 2023, and he was detained in September 2025 pending removal proceedings. ICE stated that the official cause of death remains under investigation.
Nicaraguan Detainee Dies Following Hospitalization
On December 14th, Delvin Francisco Rodriguez, a 39-year-old national of Nicaragua, was pronounced dead at a hospital in Natchez, Mississippi, after being transferred from the Adams County Detention Center. ICE reported that Rodriguez had collapsed earlier in the month and was transported to a hospital following lifesaving efforts by detention center staff.
Rodriguez had entered the United States without inspection and was later encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona. ICE stated that he was arrested in Colorado in September 2025 and ordered removed after waiving appeal. He was being held pending removal when the medical emergency occurred.
Eritrean National Dies In Pennsylvania Facility
Also on December 14th, Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, a 46-year-old citizen of Eritrea, died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. ICE reported that Abdulkadir complained of chest pain and was transported to the medical department, where staff initiated emergency care before local emergency responders arrived.
Abdulkadir had adjusted his status to lawful permanent resident in 2018 and was later convicted of federal offenses related to wire fraud and theft of public funds. ICE took custody of Abdulkadir following his release from federal prison in July 2024, and he had been detained for more than 200 days while awaiting immigration proceedings.
Oversight And Reporting Requirements
ICE stated that all four deaths were reported in accordance with the DHS Appropriations Act of 2018, which requires the agency to publicly disclose all in-custody deaths. The agency emphasized that detainees receive medical, dental, and mental health screenings within hours of arrival and have access to emergency medical care at all times.
The Pennsylvania State Police and county coroners are among the authorities investigating at least one of the deaths, ICE confirmed.
While ICE maintains that it is committed to providing safe and humane detention conditions, the cluster of deaths occurring within a short timeframe has drawn renewed public attention to detainee health, medical oversight, and conditions within immigration detention facilities.
ICE stated that further details will be released as investigations conclude.
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