Five individuals were detained at Cyril E. King Airport this month after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers filed federal criminal complaints alleging they were illegally present in the U.S. Virgin Islands and attempting to board commercial flights to the mainland United States.
According to court documents filed March 18, the five defendants were arrested on charges of improper entry under Title 8, U.S. Code Section 1325. Each was apprehended during routine departure checks at the airport and found to be without valid visas, parole authorization or immigration status under federal law.
CBP officers determined that all five had entered the U.S. Virgin Islands without inspection or authorization. One of the defendants, a Haitian national identified as Louius Desrosier, reportedly told agents he arrived by boat from Tortola earlier this year and had not entered through a designated port of entry. He was attempting to travel to Miami, Florida, but did not possess the required documentation to be legally present in or travel through the United States.
“The consistent application of consequences for individuals found illegally present in the U.S. Virgin Islands is essential to maintaining the integrity of immigration laws and protecting national security,” said Roberto Vaquero, CBP’s Director of Field Operations for Puerto Rico and the USVI, in a statement released Tuesday. “A firm but fair enforcement approach deters unlawful entry, disrupts human smuggling networks, and upholds the rule of law.”
All five defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. If convicted, they face misdemeanor charges for improper entry and may be subject to removal proceedings.
The arrests come as local and federal officials grapple with competing priorities around immigration enforcement and labor shortages. Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., during a weekly Government House briefing Monday, acknowledged the growing anxiety among Virgin Islanders about the implications of recent federal enforcement activity and political shifts in Washington. “I hear your concerns. As a matter of fact, I share them,” he said. “My administration is not only tracking these changes but is actively engaged at every level to ensure that the priorities are being placed on Virgin Islanders.”
Bryan said he has personally reached out to high-ranking federal officials in the Trump administration — including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — to lay out the territory’s unique challenges and make the case for collaboration over crackdowns. Among his top concerns: securing a reliable legal pathway for foreign labor.
The governor reiterated the territory’s acute need for workers, particularly to support ongoing recovery projects and the hospitality industry. “We’re short about 5,000 workers across sectors,” Bryan said in a separate briefing last week. “We need a way to bring in skilled and willing workers without making them vulnerable to deportation.”
He also addressed the ongoing push for access to H-1B visas, which would allow employers in the USVI to hire specialized foreign labor. Legislation introduced by Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett in January — the Virgin Islands Visa Waiver Act — seeks to expand visa access for the territory, but has not yet advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Despite those efforts, CBP has made clear that federal immigration law applies fully in the U.S. Virgin Islands — regardless of local documentation or employment. In a prior statement, Vaquero emphasized that only the federal government can grant legal immigration status, and that local ID cards or employer letters do not confer protection against arrest or removal.
Court filings also suggest the arrests were not random. The complaint notes that CBP agents at the airport are conducting targeted departure screening to identify unauthorized travelers attempting to leave the USVI for the mainland. Similar complaints have been filed in recent weeks, suggesting a stepped-up enforcement posture in the territory.
In the wake of the arrests, immigration advocates have raised concerns about what they see as a growing disconnect between local economic realities and federal enforcement priorities. At the same time, federal officials continue to warn that unauthorized entry into the U.S. — even via a U.S. territory — carries legal consequences.
CBP has not commented on whether more arrests are anticipated but said Tuesday it remains focused on “promoting a safe and orderly migration system.”
