Federal court issues order to show cause in case of Haitian immigrant detained on Christmas Eve

San Juan, P.R. – Federal Judge Camille Vélez Rivé issued an order to show cause requiring the federal government to justify why a writ of habeas corpus requested by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico should not be granted, in representation of Albeto Pierre, a Haitian immigrant detained by federal agents on Christmas Eve in Barrio Obrero, Santurce, while accompanying his partner to a prenatal appointment.

“Every second counts when the government insists on separating families without a legal basis,” underscored Fermín Arraiza Navas, legal director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico. “The explanation that ‘there is no immigration detention center in Puerto Rico’ cannot become a license to uproot families, obstruct access to attorneys, and place people in environments where there are serious and documented allegations of inhumane treatment,” the attorney added.

On December 29, 2025, the ACLU of Puerto Rico filed an emergency habeas corpus petition before the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, challenging the detention as arbitrary and lacking legal basis, and seeking Pierre’s immediate release, as well as an order preventing his transfer outside Puerto Rico’s jurisdiction. The organization also filed an ex parte motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), which the court denied.

After the denial of the first TRO, the ACLU of Puerto Rico returned to court with a renewed TRO motion and an amended habeas corpus petition. In those filings, the organization warned that on the same day the court denied the first TRO—December 30, 2025—the government transferred Pierre to “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida, an improvised facility with inhumane and unconstitutional conditions.

The organization reiterated that Pierre’s situation is urgent and that his detention, as well as his transfer, have had a devastating effect on his family and his access to legal representation. Pierre has lived in Puerto Rico since 2022, is the father of a one-year-old U.S. citizen child, and his domestic partner is a lawful permanent resident who is six months pregnant with a delicate medical condition. The petition also states that Pierre is the household’s sole economic provider and that he has no criminal record in Haiti or in the United States.

“Deporting Albeto would expose him to a real and grave risk and would irreparably separate a family with strong ties in Puerto Rico,” said Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico. “The court must act urgently to prevent irreversible harm and ensure that Albeto can defend his rights with effective access to his attorney and the courts,” the attorney stated.

Pierre was arrested on December 24, 2025, near the Health Pro-Med clinic on Avenida Borinquen, a fact that shows the urgent need to prohibit detentions in sensitive locations such as health centers, as well as their surrounding areas, as a guarantee of access to essential basic services.

Pierre had applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and employment authorization. The ACLU of Puerto Rico reiterated that the immigrant must remain in Puerto Rico while his case is resolved due to his family ties, his role as caregiver and provider for a household with a U.S. citizen minor and a pregnant mother with medical needs, and because the petition argues that he poses no danger or flight risk and that his detention stems from an arbitrary and punitive decision.