A prominent Haitian businessman and former presidential candidate accused of working with armed gangs in Haiti will have to remain in US immigration custody for the time being.
Pierre Reginald Boulos recently appeared in immigration court and will have to return next month because a judge at the Krome North Service Processing Center determined he could not be freed, the Miami Herald noted.
“The immigration judge found that Dr. Boulos was subject to mandatory detention at this point in the proceeding, pursuant to a rarely cited regulation,” said his lawyer, Atara Eig, who is representing him alongside other attorneys at the law firm of Candela, Eig & Jurgens. “We have reserved appeal on this issue and will be filing a notice of appeal in the next 30 days.”
Eig stated that the upcoming hearing, scheduled for August 26, will address procedural issues. Boulos, a lawful permanent resident born in New York but who renounced his US citizenship several years ago, was detained on July 17 in Palm Beach County for an immigration violation and is being held at the Krome detention center.
Despite not raising any substantive points on Thursday, the lawyers expressed their intention to challenge an earlier decision that granted his release. Boulos, a physician by training who pondered running for Haitian president, appeared in court soon after 8 a.m. on Thursday dressed in orange.
His children and other family members, some of whom were present in court and others online, joined him as his hearing began. After Eig expressed safety concerns, Judge Jorge Pereira closed the session to those watching online.
In social media posts and a release following his detention, the agency accused him of “contributing to the destabilization of Haiti” by engaging in violence and working with armed gangs.
“On July 17, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations arrested Pierre Reginald Boulos, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and citizen of Haiti, for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act, contributing to the destabilization of Haiti,” ICE said.
Boulos is accused of inciting violence and gang support in Haiti, which ICE claims has destabilized the country and may have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”
“The Department of State has determined that certain individuals with U.S. lawful permanent resident status have supported and collaborated with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm, a Haitian foreign terrorist organization,” a release from ICE stated. “The United States will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organizations or supporting criminal terrorist organizations abroad.”
The federal agency also stated that Boulos failed to disclose his involvement in the formation of a political party in Haiti known as the Mouvement pour la Transformation et la Valorisation d’Haiti (MTVAyiti), and that he was referred by the Haitian government’s Unit for the Fight Against Corruption for allegedly misusing loans.
Those omissions, according to ICE, can constitute immigration fraud and justify his deportation.
“These new actions demonstrate the Trump administration’s firm commitment to protecting the American people, advancing our national security interests, and promoting regional security and stability,” said ICE.
Boulos is being imprisoned at the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations detention facility in Miami.
The matter was investigated by the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.
“MTVAyiti is a political movement inspired by the Desalinian ideals of National Unity, Social Justice, National Sovereignty and the rebuilding of the Economy. The movement has its roots in the values of Pride, Greatness, Efficiency and Rationality of King Christophe,” according to the website of the party founded by Boulos.
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, mentioned in the party’s goals, was a Haitian revolutionary and the founding father of the country after it gained independence in 1804.
