ACLU denounces ICE operations in Puerto Rico immigrant communities
The civil rights group accuses federal agents of warrantless arrests and blames the González Colón administration for sharing data on more than 6,000 immigrants.
File photoThe short version
- Metro Puerto Rico reported that ICE conducted patrols and raids in San Juan immigrant neighborhoods including Barrio Obrero in Santurce over the weekend
- ACLU of Puerto Rico executive director Annette Martínez Orabona stated the actions form part of a pattern of intimidation with warrantless arrests, family separations and interference in ongoing immigration cases
- NotiCel and El Vocero reported that the ACLU holds Governor Jenniffer González Colón and DTOP Secretary Edwin González Montalvo responsible for voluntarily providing residential addresses and confidential data of over 6,000 immigrants to ICE
- A viral video from a Río Piedras event on Saturday shows agents threatening women with tasers and pepper spray while the Colectiva Feminista defended the community according to Metro Puerto Rico
Updates
Update, Oct 25, 7:06 PM AST
New reports from El Vocero and Telemundo Puerto Rico reiterate the ACLU's denunciation and add references to a specific lawsuit and a fatal incident but introduce no material new facts.
El Vocero reported that ACLU executive director Annette Martínez Orabona denounced the operations observed since Thursday and over the weekend as an escalation of violence carried out in a threatening manner with long weapons. El Vocero reported
She cited the case Tincher v. Noem filed by the ACLU in Minnesota and referenced the death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a U.S. citizen allegedly shot by federal agents while recording, according to El Vocero. The report repeats the accusation that Governor Jenniffer González Colón and DTOP Secretary Edwin González Montalvo voluntarily provided addresses and confidential data on more than 6,000 immigrants.
Telemundo Puerto Rico reported that critics are reproaching the invasive ICE interventions in San Juan communities and are demanding that politicians who sought votes from the Dominican community come to their defense. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported
Operations reported in San Juan
ICE intensified interventions in immigrant communities of San Juan during the weekend, with the most recent raid occurring Sunday afternoon in the subbarrio of Santurce known as Barrio Obrero, Metro Puerto Rico reported. Agents also patrolled areas where Dominican-descended residents gather, including Plaza Antonio R. Barceló.
According to Metro Puerto Rico, a viral video from an activity in Río Piedras on Saturday shows agents arriving and the Colectiva Feminista coming to the defense of the community, with agents pointing tasers and pepper spray at the women. Local media have documented fear and uncertainty at the plaza, where neighbors do not know when ICE vehicles will stop traffic and federal agents will make arrests.
Also on PuertoRico.com: San Juan travel guide
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Como hemos denunciado antes, el ICE implementa una política claramente discriminatoria contra estas comunidades, realizando arrestos sin orden judicial, separando familias y entorpeciendo procesos migratorios en curso
Our translation: As we have denounced before, ICE implements a clearly discriminatory policy against these communities, carrying out arrests without judicial orders, separating families and hindering ongoing immigration processes.
The source's own statement, as quoted by Primera Hora. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
ACLU response
The ACLU of Puerto Rico rejected the mass deployment of ICE agents, who have been occupying streets in immigrant communities across several municipalities since Thursday, Primera Hora reported. Executive director Annette Martínez Orabona said in a written statement that the operations add to a pattern of systematic violence and harassment against immigrant communities.
Martínez Orabona stated that people have the right to record, document and protest ICE interventions under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, NotiCel reported. She added that such recordings serve as a tool to oversee government power and that no one should feel fear or intimidation when exercising that right. The ACLU has documented cases of aggression, chemical agents and intimidation against protesters, journalists and observers in the United States.
Allegations of government facilitation
The ACLU holds both federal and local authorities responsible. Martínez Orabona said ICE implements a clearly discriminatory policy with warrantless arrests, family separations and obstacles to ongoing immigration processes, Primera Hora reported.
She accused Governor Jenniffer González Colón and DTOP Secretary Edwin González Montalvo of facilitating ICE's work by voluntarily handing over residential addresses and confidential information on more than 6,000 immigrants in Puerto Rico, NotiCel reported. The group called for an end to what it described as an escalation of violence and intimidation.
Where the sources differ
All five sources agree that ICE conducted operations in immigrant communities since Thursday through the weekend, that the ACLU denounced them as part of a pattern of intimidation involving warrantless arrests and family separations, and that Governor Jenniffer González Colón and DTOP Secretary Edwin González Montalvo are accused of sharing data on over 6,000 immigrants. Metro Puerto Rico adds details on specific locations such as Barrio Obrero and Plaza Antonio R. Barceló, a viral video from Río Piedras, and a comparison to operations in California. NotiCel, Primera Hora and El Vocero focus more on the ACLU statement, the constitutional right to record, and El Vocero adds references to the Tincher v. Noem case and the death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti. Primera Hora, NotiCel and El Vocero attribute the data-sharing accusation directly to the ACLU while Metro Puerto Rico attributes it to a broader denunciation. Telemundo Puerto Rico reports demands that politicians who sought Dominican votes defend the community.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state how many people were arrested or detained during the weekend operations, whether any specific warrants were involved in individual cases, what exact data was shared by the Puerto Rico government, or whether federal or local officials responded to the ACLU accusations. No information is given on next steps by the ACLU or any planned community responses beyond the documented protests. The reports provide no details on the circumstances of Alex Jeffrey Pretti's death beyond the ACLU's allegation.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published and last updated. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting ICE intensifica sus intervenciones en comunidades inmigrantes de San Juan
- Reporting ACLU rechaza despliegue de agentes de ICE en comunidades de Puerto Rico
- Reporting ACLU denuncia operativos de ICE en comunidades inmigrantes de Puerto Rico
- Reporting ACLU denuncia "despliegue y escalada violenta" de agentes del ICE en Puerto Rico
- Reporting Reprochan invasivas intervenciones del ICE en comunidades de San Juan
How we checked this
El Vocero and Telemundo Puerto Rico reported on the ACLU statement and community criticism on Sunday. The core facts rest on the original Metro Puerto Rico, Primera Hora and NotiCel accounts while the new sources largely restate the ACLU position with limited additional references.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
Nils Huenerfuerst / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0PuertoRico.com is free, and readers like you keep it that way.
The PuertoRico.com newsroom checks every story against its sources and publishes it free. If this one helped, a contribution of any size keeps the next one free too.
One payment, nothing to sign up for.
Contributions go to Puerto Rico.com, LLC. They are not charitable donations and are not tax-deductible. Payments are processed by Stripe.
Thank you for keeping PuertoRico.com free.
Your contribution went through. It helps pay for the next story.
Contributions go to Puerto Rico.com, LLC. They are not charitable donations and are not tax-deductible. Payments are processed by Stripe.