Jean Peña Payano, Puerto Rico’s secretary of Public Affairs, denied that the Puerto Rico government is collaborating in operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in immigrant communities. Videos circulating on social media showed masked agents visiting businesses near Plaza Antonio Barceló in barrio Obrero and asking for identification; similar scenes were repeated in Río Piedras and Canóvanas.
Speaking on "En Récord," Peña Payano said, "Hay que aclarar que es un tema de jurisdicción federal," adding, "Son leyes federales. Es la implementación de unas instrucciones federales y tenemos que seguir monitoreando cómo se siguen desarrollando las situaciones." He said neither state police nor the National Guard have taken part in the operations.
He urged people with undefined immigration status to seek guidance through universities’ law clinics, said all countries manage their borders and migration, and acknowledged that some visuals in the media show people detained simply for their skin color, which he called a reality but not something the government is driving. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has charged that the Transportation and Public Works Department (DTOP) gave federal authorities data it held on people with undefined immigration status, including license number and type, issue and expiration dates, full name, date of birth, citizenship, home address, town, ZIP code and phone number.
Peña Payano said the court ruled and the government complied, and that the federal government is handling the matter. He said he did not know whether immigrants have approached the State Department, whose secretary, Rosachely Rivera, met with the consular corps last year.