San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo reiterated that the Municipal Police and city departments will not participate in or support immigration enforcement operations. He spoke after meeting on Tuesday with agent Rebecca González Ramos and her Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) team in Puerto Rico. At the meeting, he questioned the procedures and criteria used in interventions carried out in several communities of the capital.
Respect for constitutional guarantees is not optional: it is an obligation of every public authority and a legitimate demand of the people we serve,
According to the mayor’s written statement, he was told the interventions of recent weeks that prompted his objections were carried out by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) personnel based in Miami, Florida. In response, he requested direct contact with that office and a mechanism to notify the Municipality so its Office of Immigrant Assistance can guide affected families.
Romero Lugo also asked for a breakdown of the people detained, the grounds for the interventions, and how many were released after their immigration status was verified. He further asked that authorities distinguish between people with criminal records or facing charges and those stopped solely for immigration matters. He demanded a written reply to the communication he sent last week and that the competent authorities address the allegations of possible unlawful conduct.
"Respect for constitutional guarantees is not optional: it is an obligation of every public authority and a legitimate demand of the people we serve," he said. He clarified that the Municipality will keep working with federal agencies to fight crime and handle other public safety matters that do not involve participating in or supporting immigration control operations.