United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced that Joan Tavarez Bueno, a 33-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has been charged with illegally re-entering the United States after previously being removed.
Court documents reveal that on March 10, 2025, Tavarez Bueno was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by law enforcement. Homeland Security Investigations had received information about a possible non-citizen traveling from St. John by ferry to the Red Hook Ferry Terminal in St. Thomas. Agents identified an individual matching Tavarez Bueno’s description exiting the terminal and entering a parked vehicle. The vehicle was later stopped, and Tavarez Bueno was detained. A records check confirmed his illegal status in the United States and previous removal on February 13, 2024. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the National Park Service, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Payne.
United States Attorney Smith emphasized that "a criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."