The 20-year-old asylum seeker was taken into custody after a routine immigration check-in and held for over a month -- despite Pierre's Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a pending green card, and no criminal record.
TPS protects refugees living in the U.S. from deportation to unsafe countries during ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other qualifying conditions.
Kidnappings and gang warfare crippled Haiti after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Currently, armed and violent gangs currently control much of the island nation. There is also a significant shortage of basic necessities, including fuel, food and water. The U.N. warns that the humanitarian crisis there is worsening.
In a controversial move that sparked immense backlash, President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem plans to end Haiti's TPS on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
As well as revoking Haiti's TPS, Trump also recently instated a full travel ban, completely restricting Haitians from entering the United States.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, tells his Haitian constituency he is going against the Trump administration when it comes to immigration policy. Lawler said his team joined Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer in securing Pierre's freedom from ICE custody.
Pierre's lawyer, Vince Sykes, complained that ICE was nonresponsive, and only communicated with him when politicians got involved.
"I had no communication channel into ICE. They won't speak with me, which is why I had to rely on the elected officials," Sykes said.
Rep. Lawler's team said they coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security and, along with Schumer's team, connected with the Pierre family and their legal representatives to secure authorization for official intervention.
"I'm grateful for the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Noem for working with me to release Alan Junior Pierre, pending his parole claim being adjudicated. My office and I will continue to work closely with Alan and his family throughout the immigration process, as we have with families throughout the Haitian community and across my district," Rep. Lawler said in a statement. "The situation in Haiti remains dire, and I will continue to advocate for Haitian immigrants to be granted asylum and parole within the confines of the law."