New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in Puerto Rico for the SOMOS conference in San Juan, denounced legislation he said could ease entry of immigration agents into Puerto Rico’s public schools. He also sided with opponents of the Esencia megaproject in Cabo Rojo and said he hopes Congress offers a new chance to advance the archipelago’s interests.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also took part in the conference, organized by New York Puerto Rican and Hispanic legislators. At a press conference with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Puerto Rican leaders, Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) secretary general Juan Dalmau and PIP Senator María de Lourdes Santiago, Mamdani said amendments to Senate Bill 1062 "will allow ICE to access schools."
The bill aims to make law the Education Department’s existing protocol shielding students from immigration actions. PIP legislators and civil rights groups say the amendments could drop protections such as keeping a minor in a safe space while an ICE order’s legality is verified and limiting actions to outside school hours. The Senate-approved version removed an amendment allowing actions with administrative orders.
Dalmau criticized Popular Democratic Party and New Progressive Party senators for making "common cause." New York City Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has no place in Puerto Rico’s schools. Mamdani also met groups opposing Esencia, a $2 billion project he said would use 1.2 million gallons of water daily amid drought.
The project’s backers say they work extensively with the community and regulators on an environmentally sensitive plan for over 1,000 homes and 500 hotel rooms. Mamdani and Hochul expressed optimism after Tuesday’s Democratic wins.