Réginald Boulos Released from U.S. Immigration Detention After 8 Months, Reportedly Headed to Colombia

Dr. Pierre Réginald Boulos, a prominent Haitian businessman and former presidential hopeful, was released from federal custody on Tuesday, April 7, according to Haitian broadcaster RFM. His arrest by U.S. immigration authorities last summer sent shockwaves through the Haitian diaspora.
Sources close to Boulos told RFM that following his release on April 7, he was in route to Colombia. He published a picture of himself in an airplane the same day.

His release occurred approximately eight months after his July 2025 arrest and just days after an immigration judge issued a formal deportation order on April 2, 2026.

This development is the latest in a case drawing sustained attention in Haiti, the diaspora, and U.S. immigration law circles since federal agents initially arrived at Boulos’s South Florida home last summer.

ICE arrested Boulos on July 17, 2025, at his residence in Palm Beach County, Florida, accusing him of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act by contributing to the destabilization of Haiti through what officials described as a campaign of violence and gang support. The agency said the case was investigated jointly with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the fraud detection arm of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Boulos was born in New York to Haitian parents but renounced his U.S. citizenship in order to run for president of Haiti. He obtained U.S. permanent residency in 2024 under the Biden administration. He has not been charged with a crime in the United States or in Haiti.

Federal authorities brought two principal grounds for removal. The first rested on a foreign policy provision — the Department of State determined that his presence or activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences. The second alleged immigration fraud: authorities claimed Boulos failed to disclose his role in founding the Haitian political party MTVAyiti, and that Haiti’s anti-corruption unit had referred him for prosecution over the alleged misuse of loans.

Boulos and his family consistently denied the allegations. His attorneys mounted a legal challenge, arguing, among other things, that his renunciation of U.S. citizenship was procedurally defective and never properly completed, and that he should have been eligible for a bond hearing rather than mandatory detention.

On Thursday, April 2, an immigration judge issued a deportation order against Boulos, according to Miami-based immigration attorney Frandley Denis Julien.

According to a court-approved agreement following the April 2 deportation order, the Department of Homeland Security planned to transport Boulos to a South Florida airport, where he would board a commercial flight to Colombia within 15 days of the ruling. During this process, the U.S. government is barred from deporting him to Haiti. Sources close to the situation alleged that Boulos was given a choice between removal to Mexico or Colombia.

On April 7, RFM, citing sources close to Boulos, reported that he had left U.S. custody and was traveling toward Colombia.

Boulos remains the most high-profile Haitian figure detained under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign. He is not the only one. On September 23, 2025, ICE arrested Dimitri Vorbe, a Haitian citizen and head of the energy company SOGENER, on identical charges of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act and contributing to Haiti’s destabilization. Vorbe’s family denied the allegations. As of this writing, no ruling has been issued in his case, and he remains held at the Krome facility in Miami.

CTN will provide ongoing updates as more details emerge regarding Boulos’s status in Colombia and the future of Dimitri Vorbe’s case, demonstrating our commitment to keeping readers informed about these high-profile developments.