ST. THOMAS — As immigration enforcement actions continue in the territory, another foreign national who had made attempts to regularize their status in the territory is being prosecuted by federal law enforcement agents.
In a one-paragraph submission to establish probable cause for the charge, a Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent noted that David Daniel Valdivieso Medina, a Venezuelan citizen, had applied for Temporary Protected Status with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
As part of the application, information regarding Mr. Medina’s initial entry into the territory was collected and stored in a centralized database. That information reportedly indicated that in 2021 he had come into the Virgin Islands through St. John, without inspection or official admission by an immigration officer.
Using the information gained via Mr. Medina's TPS application, authorities now seek to prosecute him for that entry.
He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Emile Henderson III on Thursday, however no decision as to his continued detention or potential release ahead of trial has been posted to the court's public docket as of press time.
