Haitian National Arrested at St. Thomas Airport After Admitting to Illegal Entry by Boat in 2024

A man who showed up for his flight from the Cyril E. King Airport was arrested earlier this month after he was found to have entered the territory illegally.

Jacques Jean Baptiste was at the airport on August 7 for his flight from St. Thomas to Orlando, Florida. After checking in, he underwent primary inspection by Customs and Border Protection officials and was then referred to secondary screening.

He reportedly admitted to CBP officers that he did not come into the territory through a regulated port of entry. He left Haiti for the Dominican Republic some years ago, and in 2019 travelled to Dominica. In May 2024, he said, he paid someone $1,800 to transport him to the Virgin Islands by boat. Jean Baptiste reportedly landed on St. John on May 27, 2024.

A check of his Haitian passport revealed that his last entry stamp was once from Dominica, dated June 21, 2019. There were no records to indicate that Jean Baptiste was processed by immigration officials upon his arrival in the Virgin Islands. He was therefore arrested and charged with improper entry by an alien.