Federal immigration agents arrested former Haitian presidential candidate Pierre Réginald Boulos at his Palm Beach County home on July 17.
Boulos, born in New York, renounced his U.S. citizenship to run for president of Haiti in 2021. He later applied for permanent residency and regained legal status in the United States in 2024.
In a statement following his arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Boulos supported gang violence in Haiti through ties to leaders associated with the group Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. government has deemed a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the United Nations, Viv Ansanm formed in 2023 through the merger of two major criminal alliances, G9 and G-Pèp, under the leadership of former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier.
The group has orchestrated coordinated attacks on government buildings, police stations and key infrastructure in Port-au-Prince, killing hundreds and displacing tens of thousands.
“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 agency said.
It offered no detail about the nature or extent of Boulos’ alleged involvement with Viv Ansanm — Haitian Creole for “Living as one” — but said his presence in the country “would have potential serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the U.S.
ICE: Reginald Boulos failed to disclose political party, corruption referral
In addition to the suspected gang ties, immigration officials said Boulos withheld key information from his green card application.
These include his role in founding the political party Mouvement pour la Transformation et la Valorisation d’Haïti, and the fact that Haiti’s anti-corruption office once referred him for prosecution over the alleged misuse of public loan funds.
Boulos’ arrest — which fell on the same day as countywide protests against the Trump administration’s mass deportation tactics — followed a joint investigation by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Boulos is being held in ICE custody as the Department of Homeland Security moves to deport him under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that permits removal based on national security and foreign policy concerns.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ICE arrests Haitian ex-candidate at Palm Beach County home, alleging gang ties and fraud
Reporting by Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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