Remembering Our Dead

TDoR 2025 / 2025 / June / 23 / Ezra Hulett

Ezra Hulett

Age 24

23 Jun 2025
Jarabacoa, La Vega (Dominican Republic)
Died in custody

Ezra died in custody in an immigration detention center after being detained without the medical attention he needed.

On June 23, 2025, a 24-year-old American citizen was found dead in custody of an immigration detention center in the Dominican Republic. Ezra Hulett identified as an intersex transgender person. He died at the Haina Detention Center in the Dominican Republic. Ezra also used the name Ezri Hajiune. To the best of my knowledge, Hajiune was a chosen name based in Japanese anime culture.

Ezra was a person who had lived with significant mental health illnesses and the impact of childhood trauma as per the family crowdfund.

The family reports that Ezra traveled to Puerto Rico where he went missing in March 2025. Some reports state Ezra living in a permanent residence for patients with mental illness in Puerto Rico. One social worker from Puerto Rico claims Ezra had been missing for over four months from the treatment program. From PR, Ezra attempted to travel to the Dominican Republic where he was detained by immigration authorities on March 15, 2025. He appeared via Punta Cana International Airport where security footage documented his arrival. Puerto Rican sources claim Ezra had a passport unbeknownst to the treatment facility.

Another source claims Ezra was taken into custody after being found homeless, wandering, showing signs of disconnection from reality, unable to identify himself, and amid reports of alleged assault, They further claim that Ezra displayed severe communication difficulties, an inability to self-identify, and behaviors that indicated a compromised mental health status. He was evaluated by mental health professionals, diagnosed with a psychotic disorder, and received treatment in the Dominican Republic.

The family contends that Ezra was detained allegedly due to a lack of documentation. He was then sent Sabana de la Mar on April 19, where he remained in custody for two days. It appears charges were not filed, but Ezra was sent on to the Haina detention center on April where he remained until his death in June.

Dominican authorities conducted an autopsy that found no signs of violence even though Ezra allegedly reported multiple incidents of sexual assault while in custody. They state that Ezra self-identified as male, using the name Ezri Hajune, which led to placement in the men’s area. Authorities also noted erratic behavior and inconsistencies about his nationality in addition to Ezra’s lack of Spanish.

Carlos Sanchez, a human rights attorney for The National Council for Human Rights advocated for Ezra, securing a court ordered evaluation in early May that was delayed by immigration officials until June 17. At that point, Ezra was transferred to a women’s unit where he died a few days later. Ezra’s family is further concerned that authorities did not release the body until June 27

Director Nelson Gutiérrez alleged that, during detention, Ezra was subjected to repeated sexual assaults by male detainees, claiming at least fifteen perpetrators were involved.

Ezra seems clearly to have been struggling with his mental health, self-care, safety, their literal nationality, and certainly language. That’s a lot of alarm bells. Sanchez figured it out, so it is deplorable for the Dominican government to claim they did not have the resources to meet the needs of Ezra or anyone else detained. But here in the US, we know how this plays out.

So the crime is certainly Ezra’s death, but also includes the allegations of multiple sexual assaults, the details around their detention, the details around their residential treatment in Puerto Rico, the policies of Dominican immigration authorities, the accuracy of existing documentation. Then there are questions about why Ezra left Puerto Rico and the trans/queer competency of their treatment. Questions about the Dominican Republic’s LGBTQ+ policies and immigration protocols.

According to the family GoFundMe, he was born at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY, and grew up in Clifton Park, attending Karigon Elementary/Gowana Middle School (Shenendehowa CSD) and winning an academic scholarship to Emma Willard School in Troy. Ezra had a gentle soul, a calm presence, and an extraordinary mind. He was deeply compassionate, sensitive, and brilliant—someone who moved through the world with quiet kindness.