Djouly Best and Papy G deported: what U.S. law says

In one week, two Haitian social media personalities were sent back from the United States to Cap-Haïtien. Comedian Jouvens Séjour, known as Papy G, was on the November 5 flight. TikToker Djouly Jean, known as Djouly Best, was among 65 Haitians deported on November 12.

U.S. authorities have not explained either deportation. Nor have they said how the two entered the United States or what their status was. But U.S. law helps explain why a deportation can follow an arrest so quickly.

Two arrests, two flights

Papy G was arrested in Indiana on October 22, then handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Less than two weeks later, he was in Haiti.

Djouly Best was arrested by ICE on November 2 in South Florida while on her way to see a doctor. Released, she was arrested again less than 24 hours later. She says she spent eight days in detention without her medication, and believes her public statements after the first arrest may have played a role. ICE did not answer press questions about her case.

Entering at the border starts a case

A person who arrives at the border without a visa is not "admitted" to the United States under the law. Officers usually give them a Notice to Appear before an immigration judge. That document opens the deportation case, from the moment they enter the country.

Humanitarian parole, granted notably to people who came in with the CBP One app, lets them stay for a time and work. But the law says it is not an admission. An asylum claim is then argued inside that same case.

When the removal order comes

If the judge denies the claim, or if the person misses a hearing, the judge issues a removal order, sometimes in their absence. Once that order is final, ICE can arrest the person and remove them without a new hearing. That is why a deportation can come just days after an arrest.

The protections are gone

For years, many Haitians were protected while their cases went on. The government ended CBP One parole in 2025, and again in 2026, after a court fight. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians ended on July 27, 2026, after a Supreme Court ruling on June 25.

Since January 2025, a person who has been in the United States for less than two years can also be removed through "expedited removal," without seeing a judge. That policy is being challenged in court.

The police don't deport

So it is not a call to the police that gets someone deported. Local police deport no one. But when a person is arrested and booked into jail, their fingerprints are sent to federal agencies. ICE can then ask for the person to be handed over. If that person already has a removal order, or no longer has status, removal can be fast.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 483,200 people were deported in the fiscal year that ended September 30, a record. Flights to Cap-Haïtien are now weekly.