Boat to bureaucracy: How Fort Myers murder suspect remained in U.S. despite order of removal

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — WINK Investigates is looking deeper into how murder suspect Rolbert Joachin was able to live in the United States after the Department of Homeland Security said he arrived in the country illegally. 

Despite a previous order for his removal from the country, Joachin was living in Fort Myers with a valid Florida driver’s license and a Social Security number—documents granted through a federal program now facing intense scrutiny.

Joachin is accused of killing a woman outside a Fort Myers convenience store last week.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Joachin entered the United States illegally by boat in 2022. By 2023, he had been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation that allows migrants from countries facing catastrophe to remain and work legally in the U.S.

However, experts warn that the "legal" status Joachin obtained may have been built on a foundation of missing information.

"You can just assume somebody’s identity, and nobody will tell the difference in the United States," says Victor Manjarrez Jr., a retired Chief Patrol Agent and current criminal justice professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Manjarrez notes that because Haiti lacks a centralized digital criminal database, U.S. officials often rely on "word of mouth" or paper records that are difficult to verify. In many cases, officials are forced to take a migrant's word regarding their criminal history during the vetting process.

While some people may be surprised that an individual with an active removal order could obtain a Social Security number, Manjarrez explains that it is a standard byproduct of the TPS system.

• Expedited Work Permits: Once TPS is granted, the government moves quickly to provide Social Security numbers so individuals can support themselves.

• The Gap in Vetting: "That isn’t uncommon," Manjarrez says of the documents. "It doesn’t mean he was vetted [thoroughly]."

• The Shield of TPS: Even with a judge's removal order, the TPS designation served as a legal safeguard, preventing Joachin’s deportation until the recent change in federal policy.

The safety net that kept Joachin in the country has recently vanished. Kelly Walker, the Acting Field Office Director for ICE in Miami, confirmed that the Trump administration has stripped those specific safeguards, ending the protections that previously applied to Joachin.

As Joachin awaits trial for murder, federal officials have formally called for his deportation. 

Manjarrez predicts that local murder charges will take precedence over federal immigration proceedings.

"More than likely, they would let the local charges play out," Manjarrez said, meaning Joachin would likely serve a local sentence before ever facing a deportation flight.

The Joachin case has thrust the Haitian community into a harsh national spotlight. There are currently over 300,000 Haitians living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status.

Last year, President Donald Trump attempted to remove Haiti's TPS status, but a federal judge temporarily blocked the move. 

Advocates and experts like Manjarrez fear that the actions of one individual could lead to widespread "blowback" against a population of hundreds of thousands who may be following the law.

WINK Investigates has filed formal requests for Joachin’s immigration records to determine exactly what information was presented to federal officials upon his entry. This story is developing.