SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A federal immigration judge in Miami ordered on Thursday that wealthy Haitian businessman and one-time presidential hopeful Pierre Réginald Boulos remain in custody in the United States, where he is held over accusations of supporting violent gangs in Haiti.
Boulos was arrested at his home in South Florida earlier in July, accused of being “engaged in a campaign of violence and gang support that contributed to Haiti’s destabilization,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said.
A well-known member of Haiti’s elite, he is the most high-profile Haitian arrested to date under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Thursday’s hearing at the Krome North Service Processing Center was held behind closed doors, with authorities barring journalists and others from the courtroom and the detention center itself.
It wasn’t immediately known what occurred at the hearing other than the judge denying Boulos be released, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the hearing.
More than a dozen people gathered outside the detention center on Thursday, demanding that Boulos remain in the U.S. — or anywhere else but Haiti. The demonstrators waved at cars that passed by and honked in support.
“If Boulos goes to Haiti, he will not stay in prison. The justice in Haiti are gangs,” read one sign.
Some said Boulos should be sent to El Salvador, or even Guantá