Puerto Rico Morning Brief Saturday, October 10, 2026

More than 2,000 families have faced eviction proceedings in Puerto Rico during 2026, amid a housing crisis that leaves many people without clear alternatives when they cannot pay rent. Ariadna Godreau Aubert, executive director of the nonprofit Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico, said in a radio interview that the situation particularly affects older adults, people with disabilities and families with children. Her organization provides guidance and assistance in housing and other civil rights cases. Godreau said the island still lacks enough mechanisms to prevent vulnerable people from being evicted without an identified place to live.

The San Juan Court ordered the eviction of María Magdalena, a woman in her eighties, from the Carbonell Street home in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Hato Rey where she has lived for 27 years. The owner sued citing the expiration of the lease and alleged nonpayment, and it is alleged she owes $3,130. Her husband died in the home’s second bedroom, which she said was the only thing that mattered to her about it.

Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos, Inc., a shelter for domestic violence victims, faces a foreclosure lawsuit filed on October 5. The suit asks for the public auction of its Santurce headquarters if it cannot pay a consolidated debt of $232,449.89. The nonprofit has operated since 1979 as the first organization in Puerto Rico and Latin America dedicated to offering shelter and comprehensive support to women survivors of domestic violence and their daughters and sons. According to the complaint, the loans originated in 1996 with the now-defunct Doral Federal Savings Bank.

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón called New Fortress Energy’s payment claims "blackmail" and said she will weigh viable alternatives to end the dispute. The aim is for the barge Amur River to finally dock at the San Juan pier and unload natural gas. A New Fortress Energy subsidiary claims the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) is behind on payment guarantees for outstanding balances. New Fortress puts the figure at roughly $92.2 million, of which $17.6 million is for the burning of substitute fuel.

The Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, created under the federal PROMESA law, reiterated this week that it acted correctly in approving and then revoking a $5.9 billion, ten-year contract for temporary power generation. The contract was between PREPA and Power Expectations LLC, Enchanted Rock LLC and Reyes Contractor LLC. The Board says it always had doubts about the contract and authorized it only after certain security commitments. "It is significant that the alleged fraud and forgery occurred after the Oversight Board’s review, and we have referred the matter to federal authorities," the Board said in a press release.

The Puerto Rico Police Department’s SWAT unit was activated early Friday morning, October 9, after the alarm system at LARCOOP, a cooperative in Lares, was triggered. Authorities were alerted at 1:34 AM and responded to the location on PR-129, kilometer 19.9, in the Callejones neighborhood. SWAT agents entered the establishment to verify the interior and found no people, but reported property damage.