Pablo José Hernández Rivera calls for ICE operations in Puerto Rico without violence
The resident commissioner expressed solidarity with the immigrant community and urged respect for human rights during federal immigration enforcement actions.
File photoThe short version
- Metro Puerto Rico reported that on Monday Pablo José Hernández Rivera expressed solidarity with the immigrant community and called for ICE operations to be conducted without violence
- Telemundo Puerto Rico reported that since January 2025 he has demanded explanations from federal authorities about ICE operations in Puerto Rico through official communications and public hearings
- All three outlets reported that he has backed legislation to limit enforcement in sensitive locations such as schools and churches, reform immigrant detention and increase agent accountability
- Metro Puerto Rico and Telemundo Puerto Rico reported that he opposed a Republican budget proposal in June 2026 that would have added $70 billion for ICE and CBP citing insufficient accountability
Solidarity with immigrants
Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera expressed solidarity with the immigrant community in Puerto Rico on Monday amid ICE raids and called for the federal operations to be carried out without violence, with compassion and respect for human rights. “Las leyes migratorias pueden y deben ejercerse sin violencia, con compasión y respeto a los derechos humanos,” he said in written statements. Metro Puerto Rico reported.
Hernández Rivera said he has demanded explanations from federal authorities about the ICE operations since January 2025 through official communications and public hearings. He also denounced the sharing of immigrants’ personal information by the Puerto Rico government with federal authorities. He urged immigrants to learn their rights and consult information shared on his office’s social media accounts. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported.
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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.
Las leyes migratorias pueden y deben ejercerse sin violencia, con compasión y respeto a los derechos humanos
Our translation: Immigration laws can and should be enforced without violence, with compassion and respect for human rights
The source's own statement, as quoted by Metro Puerto Rico. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Legislative actions
The commissioner has backed several legislative measures including the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to limit immigration enforcement in sensitive places such as schools and churches. He co-sponsored the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act to reform the detention system, the Immigration Enforcement Staff Body Camera Accountability Act requiring body cameras for agents, and the No Secret Police Act requiring agents to identify themselves. Telemundo Puerto Rico reported.
In June 2026 he opposed a Republican budget proposal that would have provided an additional $70 billion to ICE and Customs and Border Protection because of insufficient accountability mechanisms. El Vocero reported.
Where the sources differ
All three sources agree that Pablo José Hernández Rivera issued a statement on Monday expressing solidarity with immigrants, calling for ICE operations without violence and respect for human rights, that he has sought explanations from federal authorities since January 2025, that he denounced the Puerto Rico government sharing immigrant data, that he backs legislation including the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, and that he opposed a Republican budget proposal adding $70 billion for ICE and CBP in June 2026. Metro Puerto Rico and Telemundo Puerto Rico provide nearly identical direct quotes and mention the same four bills. El Vocero offers a shorter summary without direct quotes or the explicit statement that he co-sponsored three of the bills.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state whether any specific ICE raids occurred on Monday or in recent days, how many operations have taken place since January 2025, whether any violence has been documented during the operations, what response if any federal authorities have given to the commissioner’s demands for explanations, or what actions the Puerto Rico government has taken following his denunciation of data sharing.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official Pablo José exige redadas de ICE sin violencia
- Reporting Pablo José exige redadas de ICE sin violencia
- Reporting Pablo José reclama respeto a derechos humanos tras operativos del ICE
- Reporting Comisionado residente cuestiona las redadas de ICE y exige respeto a los derechos humanos
How we checked this
Metro Puerto Rico, Telemundo Puerto Rico and El Vocero each published articles on Monday summarizing the written statement from Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera. The details of specific bills backed and the exact phrasing of his opposition to the budget proposal rest on single sources.
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.
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