DTOP delivers immigrant data documents to ACLU after court order
The agency turned over a federal subpoena from ICE and its response table, with personal identifiers redacted, following action by Puerto Rico's Supreme Court.
The short version
- NotiCel reports DTOP delivered the documents on Thursday after the Supreme Court rejected a second reconsideration request
- The delivery concerns data on driver's licenses of about 6,000 migrants shared with ICE, according to Secretary Edwin González Montalvo via NotiCel
- ACLU Executive Director Annette Martínez Orabona stated the secretary voluntarily handed over confidential migrant information protected by Law 97-2013
- Martínez Orabona told NotiCel that three separate Supreme Court panels ruled against DTOP and that the delays violated the right to know
Updates
Update, Oct 14, 11:08 PM AST
NotiCel adds that DTOP shared data on about 6,000 migrants, quotes ACLU criticizing voluntary disclosure and delays, and notes three separate Supreme Court panels ruled against DTOP.
NotiCel reported that DTOP turned over the documents on Thursday after the Supreme Court declared "no ha lugar" a second reconsideration request by the agency. NotiCel reported the materials concern information on driver's licenses of approximately 6,000 migrants shared with ICE, as confirmed by Secretary Edwin González Montalvo, who also delivered details related to the ICE subpoena.
The ACLU of Puerto Rico stated that Secretary González Montalvo voluntarily and without legal obligation provided confidential information on thousands of migrants protected under Law 97-2013. NotiCel quoted ACLU Executive Director Annette Martínez Orabona saying the agency and the Justice Department spent more than a year obstructing access to public information, despite three separate Supreme Court panels, involving all nine justices, ruling against DTOP.
Martínez Orabona told NotiCel the ACLU team is currently evaluating the delivered documents. The new report does not contradict the earlier account of delivery occurring after the Supreme Court action and with identifiers protected, but supplies the approximate number of affected migrants and the ACLU's reaction, which El Nuevo Día had said was not received by its publication time.
Compliance with court order
The Department of Transportación y Obras Públicas (DTOP) delivered documents to the ACLU of Puerto Rico on Wednesday related to a request from the Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE). El Nuevo Día reported the submission followed the Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico making final and firm an order for the agency to provide the documents received from the federal government.
According to El Vocero, the materials included the formal subpoena presented by ICE at the beginning of 2025 and the table produced by DTOP in response. Both reports indicate that information that could allow identification of third parties was protected, in line with a ruling by the Tribunal de Primera Instancia.
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What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Como agencia del Gobierno de Puerto Rico, el DTOP cumple cabalmente con las determinaciones de los tribunales
Our translation: As an agency of the Government of Puerto Rico, the DTOP fully complies with the determinations of the courts
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Nuevo Día. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Secretary's statements
DTOP Secretary Edwin González Montalvo said in written statements that as an agency of the Government of Puerto Rico, the DTOP complies fully with court determinations. El Nuevo Día reported he reaffirmed the agency's commitment to the responsible management of all information under its custody.
The secretary's comments were also carried by El Vocero. Neither outlet reported what specific information ICE had requested or what data the table contained. El Nuevo Día said it had requested a reaction from the ACLU but none had been received by publication time.
Where the sources differ
El Nuevo Día, El Vocero and NotiCel agree that DTOP delivered the ICE subpoena and related response documents to the ACLU after the Supreme Court rejected reconsideration requests, that the materials concern migrant data shared with ICE, and that identifiers were protected. NotiCel is the only source to state the data involved approximately 6,000 migrants, to quote ACLU Executive Director Annette Martínez Orabona criticizing voluntary disclosure and obstruction, and to note that three separate Supreme Court panels (involving all nine justices) ruled against DTOP. El Vocero previously noted the subpoena dated from the beginning of 2025; El Nuevo Día previously provided background on the 2025 lawsuit.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not specify what exact data fields ICE requested or what the DTOP response table contained, whether any licenses were actually revoked or migrants directly affected, the precise contents of the subpoena, or what specific actions the ACLU plans after evaluating the documents. No source indicates whether further litigation or public release of the materials is expected.
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.
- Official DTOP entrega a la ACLU información sobre datos de inmigrantes que compartió con ICE
- Reporting DTOP entrega a la ACLU información sobre datos de inmigrantes que compartió con ICE
- Reporting Tras orden judicial, DTOP entrega a la ACLU documentos de solicitud del ICE
- Reporting Obligado por el Supremo, DTOP entrega documentos sobre datos de migrantes compartidos con ICE
How we checked this
El Nuevo Día, El Vocero and NotiCel all reported the delivery and the secretary's statements on compliance. The approximate figure of 6,000 migrants, the ACLU's critical statements and the detail of three separate Supreme Court panels rest solely on NotiCel.
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.