Authorized statement regarding U.S. Army Reserve military exercises across Puerto Rico

Authorized statement by attorney Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico, regarding the conduct of military exercises across Puerto Rico announced by the U.S. Army Reserve:

“The ACLU of Puerto Rico categorically rejects the conduct of military exercises of any kind in the streets and public spaces of the Puerto Rico archipelago. Since at least August 2025, we have seen an increase in the U.S. military presence in our archipelago, occupying our coasts and airspace without prior notice. Today it is announced that they will also be mobilizing through our public streets. There is no reason whatsoever that justifies a military presence in civilian spaces—from main roadways to public squares and any other public space. The ACLU of Puerto Rico issues an urgent call and warning to the public not to normalize the presence of soldiers, military vehicles, and military equipment in public space, and instead to remain aware of the danger posed by the militarization of the country. We also reiterate our call to the government to reject a military presence in civilian spaces. Puerto Rico already lived through this for decades in the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, and it was precisely the multiple human rights violations that led the country—across sectors and ideologies—to mobilize to put a stop to the practices of the U.S. Navy, whose impact is still palpable. The pattern of increased military presence in the archipelago reflects an unprecedented remilitarization that has turned the entire territory into a floating military base. In the United States, the Trump administration’s current policy favors and seeks to normalize the use of military policing as a strategy of control. This dangerous practice aims to chill and weaken fundamental constitutional protections, particularly the First Amendment protections for freedom of expression. The ACLU has confronted these efforts in states such as Oregon, Illinois, and California through litigation and actions aimed at protecting these rights. In Puerto Rico, we will defend them as well.”