“They are taking people who have documents”: ICE agents carry out an operation in the Barrio Obrero area in Santurce
On a random Sunday afternoon, Neuri was sharing with his brother, who came to visit him from the neighboring Dominican Republic. Juan, for his part, had left his house to buy the avocado that would accompany the sancocho that his wife prepared at home, and Fermín, meanwhile, was talking with friends in front of one of the businesses located on Borinquen Avenue in Barrio Obrero, near Constitución Avenue, in San Juan.
But the afternoon took a totally different turn for the three Dominican immigrants residing in Puerto Rico when agents of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE, in English) arrived in the area and detained them as part of the first operation on the island since the president’s new immigration policy came into force. donald trumpwhich strengthened restrictions and rolled back protections for immigrants.
“I’m desperate. “I don’t know who to ask, I don’t know where to go, I don’t know what to do.”said Iris Lázaro Rivera, Juan’s wife, while trying to process what had just happened. “He came out here to buy an avocado.”
The New Day witnessed the arrest of at least three Dominican people, while the agents randomly asked questions and interviewed those who were in front of various establishments that are meeting points, mainly, of the Dominican community in Puerto Rico, seeking to corroborate their immigration status.
1/11 | Thus, the feds carried out an operation in Barrio Obrero after Donald Trump’s immigration policy. At least three people were detained in the Barrio Obrero area as part of the first operation on the island since President Donald Trump’s new immigration policy came into effect. – PHOTO SUPPLIED
In confirming the operation in response to Trump’s new policy, ICE defended, in written statements, that the agency “plays a crucial role in identifying and apprehending people who pose a threat”. “Enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws is of critical importance to the national security and public safety of the United States,” said the agency, which did not have a spokesperson available to offer details about the intervention. An official number of detainees was not offered either.
The offensive, however, was unjustifiable for the relatives and friends of the detainees, who, until the moment of the interview, did not have any information regarding where exactly they would be taken, what the next steps would be or when they could see them.
“If he were a criminal, I tell you, I myself would say ‘yes, it’s good that they arrested him’, but he is an extremely hard-working person.”continued Iris, 50, in disbelief at what had just happened. “A person who is buying an avocado because his wife is making him a sancocho, (the arrest) is unnecessary, I see no reason,” he said.
The operation occurs just six days after Trump’s return to the US presidency and after the governor Jennifer Gonzalez Colon expressed, in an interview with Telemundo, addressing particularly the Dominican community on the island, that they could “rest easy,” since, according to her, the Republican president’s policies were focused on the United States border with Mexico and the crossing of immigrants in that region, not in Puerto Rico.
There is no collaboration
The New Day He requested comments from the governor about the operation that this media witnessed, but the first executive – who has been out of the country since January 17 – was not available. In his place, the Secretary of the Interior, Francisco Domenechindicated that local authorities were informed by their federal counterparts about the intervention, but that they did not cooperate with the process. Likewise, he alleged – without offering specific data – that the detained people supposedly had a criminal history.
“We have been informed that several of the individuals targeted by this operation are convicted criminals or individuals who are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation,” he said in writing.
“For those who are not people with a criminal history, Governor Jenniffer González’s administration will be working with President Trump’s administration in seeking measures to facilitate the integration of people with undefined immigration status into the American community, such as “work visas”he added.
On the other hand, the testimony of those close to the detainees distances itself from the version that the González administration claims to have received.
“My husband is in an immigration process, my husband pays the IRS (in reference to federal taxes), he has a license, he meets all the requirements,” said Cinthia Paniagua, Neuri’s wife. The woman, who is Puerto Rican, shared that her partner has lived in Puerto Rico for 20 years, of which 17 have been shared with her. They married in 2019.
Details of arrests
The man was barely able to call her on the phone to ask her to send him photos of documents related to his immigration status, while he was interviewed by federal agents. Cinthia, who was in the house, could barely react.
“I send you the documents. He calls me and tells me ‘come, because this is kind of strange’”he related. Upon arrival, Neuri had already been detained. “I am a diabetic patient, high blood pressure, hypothyroidism, I suffer from a lot of conditions, and he is the one who takes care of me. Right now, he had an accident, we are taking care of each other,” he said.
In the same way, Fermín was detained before they could bring him his immigration documents. With the papers in hand, María Cristina Infante, a merchant and friend of the detainee, later explained that, for the community, it is common to keep this type of information at home for security reasons.
“That man has worked here his entire life. “This man has been here for more than 30 years, so they are also taking people who have documents, and that is an injustice.”he stressed, while holding in his hands the evidence that he could not deliver to Fermín in time, before being arrested.
Given what happened, the mayor of San Juan, Miguel Romeroexpressed solidarity with the affected families and ordered the Immigrant Assistance Office to have “the necessary resources to maximize our efforts” and emphasized that “neither the Municipal Police, nor any government entity under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of San Juan are collaborating neither participating nor supporting these operations in any way.”
“I reiterate our commitment to act with compassion, responsibility and firmness in defense of those facing moments of uncertainty”Romero said.
Meanwhile, the resident commissioner in Washington, Pablo Jose Hernandezstressed that he will ensure, in his official management in the federal capital, that the rights of the immigrant community in Puerto Rico are respected.
“All people, including undocumented immigrants, have rights in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. I will ensure that these rights are respected, and I will use the authority within the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees ICE, to ensure that they are not violated.“, he stated in writing.