Court Cases
Featured Cases
March 17, 2026
Joan Alberto Zorrilla Lora v. Rebecca González et al.
An immigration judge granted bond to Dominican immigrant Joan Alberto Zorrilla Lora, a decision that marks an important step forward in the face of a detention that should never have happened. The ruling comes after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico filed an urgent habeas corpus petition to stop Zorrilla Lora’s transfer outside the local jurisdiction and to require that he receive a bond hearing, a process to which he was entitled.
This case also exposes the voluntary collaboration of municipal authorities with the federal immigration detention machinery. There is evidence showing that the Carolina Municipal Police played a direct role in the events that led to Zorrilla Lora’s detention by federal authorities. That intervention points to voluntary cooperation by the Municipality in immigration enforcement functions, even though no 287(g) agreement exists delegating that type of authority.
March 17, 2026
ACLU of PR v. DTOP
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico filed a petition for mandamus in the Court of First Instance in San Juan against the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP), Edwin González Montalvo, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, seeking the immediate release of all documents related to the transfer of confidential information concerning nearly 6,000 migrants who obtained driver’s licenses under Act No. 97 of 2013, including a subpoena allegedly issued by a federal agency.
The ACLU-PR’s action comes after DTOP refused to provide copies of information requests issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as the legal assessments and the information that was turned over in response to those requests. The agency’s response relied on generalities, without legally substantiating its claim of confidentiality, which constitutes a failure to perform a ministerial duty and a flagrant violation of the right of access to public information, a constitutional right in Puerto Rico.
The lawsuit is based on the public disclosure that, between February and March 2025, DTOP turned over personal data on nearly 6,000 drivers with unregularized immigration status to federal immigration agencies. The federal government later confirmed that these data are being actively used to identify immigrants, locate them, arrest them without a warrant, and deport them.
The ACLU-PR underscored that this action by the government of Puerto Rico was carried out in direct contravention of Act 97-2013 itself, which requires the Secretary of DTOP to establish the necessary mechanisms to ensure that this registry cannot be used to discriminate and that the information is not disclosed.
March 17, 2026
Ínaru de la Fuente Díaz v. Jenniffer González Colón et al. - Amicus ACLU F. & ACLUPR
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Puerto Rico filed an amicus curiae brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the case of Ínaru Nadia de la Fuente Díaz v. Jenniffer A. González Colón, in support of the plaintiffs challenging the Commonwealth policy that prevents them from obtaining birth certificates reflecting an “X” gender marker for nonbinary people.
Currently, the Government of Puerto Rico limits the gender marker on birth certificates to only “M” or “F,” referring to the male/female binary, but refuses to offer the “X” option even when a person has other documents or medical certifications recognizing their nonbinary gender identity.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico has already determined that this policy violates the right to equal protection of the laws, although it applied the most deferential standard of review, rational basis. The amicus filed by the ACLU and its Puerto Rico affiliate asks the First Circuit to affirm that decision while making clear that this policy should be evaluated under heightened scrutiny because it is based on the affected individuals’ transgender status.
The brief explains that nonbinary people are a subgroup within the broader transgender community because their gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth. By specifically excluding people with a nonbinary identity from the ability to obtain accurate documents, the government subjects them to unequal treatment with real consequences in everyday life, from school or work to access to basic services and daily interactions with government agencies.
All Cases
20 Court Cases
July 2, 2026
Ignacio Cambero Maldonado v. Rebecca González et al.
This emergency habeas corpus petition seeks the immediate release of Jose Ignacio Cambero Maldonado, who was detained on June 25, 2026, during an aggressive multicar operation in Puerto Rico carried out by more than five masked individuals without a local traffic stop order. The petition argues that the intervention was racially motivated and part of a broader pattern of racial profiling, in violation of constitutional protections.
Mr. Cambero Maldonado has lived continuously in the United States since September 30, 2021, with his U.S. citizen wife and their nearly two-year-old U.S. citizen daughter. He has taken steps to regularize his immigration status, including the filing and payment of required USCIS forms I-130 and I-601A. The petition argues that, because he complied with the legal process, is not a flight risk, and poses no danger to the community, his continued detention lacks a valid legal basis.
The petition claims that his detention violates due process, serves no legitimate government purpose, wastes public resources, and causes severe emotional, psychological, and financial harm to his family. It asks the court to declare the detention unlawful and order his immediate release.
May 26, 2026
Carlos Berríos Polanco v. Joseph González Falcón et al.
The ACLU of Puerto Rico went to court on behalf of journalist Carlos Berríos Polanco to demand that the Puerto Rico Police Bureau disclose public records about its participation in Operation Stonegarden, a federal grant program that funds coordination among agencies to address certain cross-border crimes. The organization argues that the Police failed to comply with their legal duty to respond to a request for documents related to public funds, operations, and civil rights safeguards.
May 8, 2026
Leon Isauro Calderon Santana v. Rebecca González et al.
This emergency habeas corpus petition seeks the immediate release of Leon Isauro Calderon Santana, a Dominican immigrant, who was detained by ICE on April 24, 2026, during an immigration enforcement operation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while he was on his way to open his business, Chaito Mármol.
The petition argues that his detention is unlawful and violates due process because he has lived continuously in the United States since 2004, has a pending I-130 Petition for Alien Relative filed by his U.S. citizen daughter, and may be eligible for cancellation of removal. It also states that he is not a flight risk or danger to the community, has paid taxes, supports several U.S. citizen children, and is the sole caregiver for his U.S. citizen wife, who has medical and mental health needs.
The petition further alleges that the enforcement action was racially motivated and asks the federal court to declare his continued detention unlawful and order his immediate release.
March 17, 2026
Albeto Pierre v. Rebecca González et al.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico filed an emergency habeas corpus petition in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico on behalf of Albeto Pierre, a Haitian immigrant detained by federal agents on Christmas Eve in Barrio Obrero, Santurce, while accompanying his partner to a prenatal appointment.
The legal action challenged his arbitrary detention as lacking a lawful basis and asks the court to order his immediate release, as well as to prevent his imminent transfer outside the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico.
March 17, 2026
Martín Medina de la Cruz v. Rebecca González et al.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico filed an emergency habeas corpus petition and an urgent motion to stay the transfer of Martín Medina de la Cruz, a Dominican immigrant who was detained by federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 18, 2026, in Puerto Nuevo, San Juan.
The organization argued that Medina de la Cruz’s detention is unlawful, arbitrary, and lacks a valid legal basis, and that the federal government intends to imminently transfer him outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico, which would further harm his due process rights and his access to legal representation.
March 17, 2026
Diógene Fermín Fernández v. Rebecca González et al.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico granted a habeas corpus petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico and ordered the federal government not to transfer Diogene Fermin Fernández, a Dominican immigrant detained by federal agents, outside Puerto Rico.
In its order, Judge Pedro A. Delgado Hernández also set a deadline for the government to provide a bond hearing, warning that “if respondents do not provide such a hearing within that time, they must immediately release petitioner.” Diogene Fermín Fernández has lived in Puerto Rico since 2007 and was stopped by federal agents on January 20, 2026, while on his way to work in Villa Palmeras, an area in San Juan with a large Dominican community.
According to the petition filed in court, the arrest took place under circumstances raising serious concerns of racial profiling and ended with his transfer to western Puerto Rico, where he remained in federal custody while facing the threat of being removed from the jurisdiction within hours or days.
March 17, 2026
Teófilo Ávila v. Rebecca González et al.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico ordered the federal government to bring Teófilo Ávila, a detained immigrant, back to Puerto Rico after he was transferred outside the jurisdiction even though the ACLU of Puerto Rico had timely filed a habeas corpus petition to prevent his transfer. Judge Silvia Carreño Coll ordered that Ávila be returned to Puerto Rico no later than February 2 and warned that failure to comply would result in contempt sanctions against Rebecca González Ramos, the Special Agent in Charge of HSI in Puerto Rico, whom the court identified as the detainee’s designated custodian.
According to the order, on January 29, 2026, the court had granted a temporary emergency restraining order (TRO) and an urgent motion prohibiting Ávila’s transfer outside Puerto Rico and requiring that he be given a bond hearing before an immigration judge no later than February 12, 2026. Ávila, who is represented by immigration attorney Rosaura González Rucci, was detained in Puerto Rico on January 19, 2026, and was later held in local custody facilities before being transferred out of the jurisdiction. The court underscored that there is no dispute that he was in Puerto Rico when the habeas corpus petition was properly filed.
March 17, 2026
Perfecto Paula v. Rebecca González et al.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico filed an urgent habeas corpus petition in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico on behalf of Perfecto Paula, a Dominican national who has been detained by federal agencies in Puerto Rico since February 14, 2026, despite having an advanced and approved immigration process and strong family ties in the archipelago.
In its filing before the federal court, the organization asked the court to assume jurisdiction over the case, issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting Paula’s transfer outside the District of Puerto Rico while the petition is being considered, and grant the habeas corpus petition to order his immediate release, or alternatively, his release on bond. Along the same lines, the ACLU also asked that protection be extended to all immigrants who are being held under these same conditions.
March 17, 2026
Ernesto José Cruz Tejada v. Rebecca González et al.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that Ernesto José Cruz Tejada’s detention is unlawful because he was processed for expedited removal even though he had lived continuously in Puerto Rico and the United States for more than two decades, had an approved I-130 family petition filed by his mother, a lawful permanent resident, and, according to the petition, does not fall within the categories of mandatory detention. The filing argues that his imprisonment violates due process, that he was denied a bond hearing to which he was entitled, and that there is an imminent risk he will be transferred outside Puerto Rico, which would impair his access to counsel and worsen the impact on his 68-year-old mother, whose health is fragile and for whom he is the primary caregiver.
The complaint states that the arrest took place on March 7, 2026, in Barrio Obrero, San Juan, as Cruz Tejada was on his way to the market to buy breakfast for his sick mother. The petition further alleges that the stop was racially motivated, that authorities failed to verify how long he had continuously lived in Puerto Rico before placing him in expedited removal proceedings, and that his arrest and detention occurred without a valid legal basis or adequate consideration of less restrictive alternatives.
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