San Juan, P.R. - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico confirmed this Wednesday that Aracelys Terrero, a Dominican immigrant who was illegally detained in Cabo Rojo, has been released on bond.
"Aracelys' detention should never have occurred, and both municipal, state, and federal authorities must be held accountable. The ACLU of Puerto Rico celebrates this step that allows Aracelys to be reunited with her family and neighbors in Puerto Rico, but we warn that, like this one, there are various cases of illegal and arbitrary detention, and we will demand answers," said Annette Martínez Orabona, Executive Director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico.
The attorney also warned that the bond release does not end the administrative process the woman faces, which stems from an illegal detention in its genesis. This process, moreover, imposes an emotional, physical, and economic burden on Aracelys, tied to an arbitrary detention. The bond hearing took place on Tuesday.
Aracelys, a Dominican citizen residing in Puerto Rico with an approved work permit and covered as a survivor of gender violence under the federal VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), was intervened by a municipal agent and detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) federal agents in Cabo Rojo, despite presenting an up-to-date visa and migratory permits.
The Municipal Police officer who made the referral had neither a judicial warrant nor legal authority to refer her to immigration agents. In addition to the elements mentioned, the detention violated "the most basic principles of humanity," Martínez Orabona noted.
After being detained, Aracelys disappeared from the electronic system, was illegally transferred to the U.S. without respecting due process, and was held in detention centers in Florida, Texas, and New Mexico.
"The Government of Puerto Rico and law enforcement agencies cannot become participants in barbarism. Everything that is happening in the United States and Puerto Rico, apart from extremist and exclusionary policies, cannot be adopted by a people like us, full of individuals who only aim for love, understanding, and respect for our foreign brothers and sisters," said Ángel Robles, Aracelys' immigration attorney, with whom the ACLU of Puerto Rico has collaborated in the process.
On Monday, June 9, the ACLU sent a letter to Governor Jenniffer González Colón demanding that the state government transparently detail the information it shared with federal authorities regarding immigrants. It also requested the publication of protocols to guarantee due process and special protection for victims of gender violence, and the suspension of policies and administrative orders that allow for migratory detentions without a judicial warrant, among other issues. The Municipal Police lack the authority to enforce immigration laws without a 287(g) agreement or a judicial warrant.
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