San Juan Mayor Demands Investigation Into HSI Immigration Raids in Santurce
San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero has written to the head of HSI demanding answers over this weekend's immigration raids in the city.
Key points
- Miguel Romero Lugo sent a letter to Rebecca González Ramos, HSI director, asking for an investigation into the raids' methods.
- According to complaints reported by El Nuevo Día, there was intimidation, use of long guns, and entry into churches without judicial warrants.
- The raids took place in Barrio Obrero and Villa Palmeras in Santurce; according to residents' accounts, Dominican immigrants were detained.
- The mayor asks whether the operations were based on arrest warrants or another legal authority.
San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo sent a letter to Rebecca González Ramos, director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), asking for an investigation into this weekend's immigration raids. In the letter, sent Wednesday, complaints are cited of intimidation, use of long guns, entry into churches without judicial warrants, and violence against residents and activists documenting the operations.
Romero Lugo said the affected communities, including Barrio Obrero and Villa Palmeras in Santurce, are made up of people who have built their homes and businesses in the city. He asked that all of them, regardless of immigration status, be treated with dignity and receive the constitutional protections that apply to them, including due process.
According to residents' accounts, the raids led to detentions of Dominican nationals. El Nuevo Día reported that, according to videos provided by activists, several agents did not hide their faces, wore U.S. Flags on their uniforms, and spoke English. HSI operates under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and El Nuevo Día reported that the operation was directed by the Miami office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), which sent agents from Florida to increase immigration arrests in Puerto Rico.
The mayor also asked for clarity on whether the operations were carried out under arrest warrants or other orders from competent authority, or under some legal power that allows action without prior warrant. He stressed that San Juan's streets and businesses should not be treated like a border checkpoint, and warned of possible intimidation against people filming the operations.
El Nuevo Día reported that it requested comment from HSI San Juan on the letter and was awaiting a response at the time of publication.
Why it matters
The raids affected immigrants in Puerto Rico and raise questions about respect for their constitutional rights and due process.