Immigrant Rights

Immigrant communities are an integral part of Puerto Rico’s social, cultural, and economic life. Yet thousands of migrants on the island face discrimination, detention, and barriers to basic services. The ACLU of Puerto Rico fights to ensure that every person — regardless of immigration status — is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.

Derechos de Inmigrantes

What you need to know

85,000+

Migrant workers and their families live in Puerto Rico, contributing to the archipelago’s economy and community life.

6,000

Nearly 6,000 immigrants without defined immigration status obtained driver’s licenses in Puerto Rico, but the government put that protection at risk by sharing their data with federal immigration authorities.

78 Municipalities, 2 Protections

Only two of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities have adopted local ordinances limiting police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

We advocate for policies that protect immigrant families and prohibit local law enforcement from acting as federal immigration agents. The ACLU of Puerto Rico supports House Bill 331, which seeks to safeguard access to schools, hospitals, and churches for all — regardless of status.

Help Protect Immigrant Families in Puerto Rico

The ACLU of Puerto Rico is fighting to stop racial profiling, protect access to essential services, and ensure that no one lives in fear because of their immigration status. You can help by taking action on House Bill 331, sharing our campaign, or supporting our advocacy to make Puerto Rico a place where everyone belongs.

Key Issues

The ACLU of Puerto Rico challenges discriminatory practices and advocates for policies that promote inclusion, fairness, and accountability. Protecting immigrants’ rights strengthens entire communities and upholds Puerto Rico’s commitment to human rights.
Our work on immigrant rights combines litigation, policy reform, and public education to ensure that every person — regardless of where they were born — can live safely, work freely, and seek justice in Puerto Rico.

Police Collaboration: Local law enforcement often cooperates with federal immigration agencies, creating fear and mistrust in immigrant communities.

Access to Services: Many immigrants avoid schools, hospitals, and shelters out of fear of detention or deportation.

Labor Exploitation: Migrant workers, especially in agriculture and construction, face unsafe conditions and wage theft.

Family Separation: Detentions and deportations tear families apart and violate basic human rights.

ACLU of Puerto Rico

The Latest

Press Release
Conferencia de prensa - 15 de octubre de 2026

ACLUPR Confirms Administrative Subpoena: DTOP Secretary Cooperated Without Objection with ICE’s “Fishing Expedition” Targeting Immigrants

The organization called for the resignation of Secretary Edwin González Montalvo, after confirming that the agency cooperated by providing confidential information on thousands of immigrants who had obtained a driver’s license in Puerto Rico.
Issue Areas: Free Speech, Immigrant Rights
Court Cases: ACLU of PR v. DTOP
Press Release
Sandro Gonzákez Domínguez

Mexican immigrant removed from Puerto Rico granted release on bond

The Immigration Court held a bond hearing in which Sandro González Domínguez appeared via videoconference from Florida, while immigration agencies continued to defy a federal judge’s order requiring his return.
Issue Areas: Immigrant Rights
Court Cases: Sandro González Domínguez v. Garret J. Rippa, et al.
Press Release
Derechos de Inmigrantes

ACLU Puerto Rico files legal motion defending Mexican immigrant and seeking his release

Sandro González Domínguez, co-owner of a well-known restaurant business in the archipelago, was detained on Saturday by masked ICE agents.
Issue Areas: Immigrant Rights
Court Cases: Sandro González Domínguez v. Garret J. Rippa, et al.
Press Release
Juan Francisco Areche Minaya

Immigration judge denies bond to Dominican immigrant who has lived in Puerto Rico for 28 years, despite recent First Circuit decision

The ACLUPR and the UPR Immigration Clinic denounced the decision, noting that it keeps Juan Francisco Areche Minaya incarcerated based on an alleged flight risk that does not exist.
Issue Areas: Immigrant Rights
Legislation
Oct 24, 2025

Senate Bill 125

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, supports Senate Bill 125, which seeks to amend the Puerto Rico Electoral Code of 2020 to extend voting rights to foreign nationals domiciled in Puerto Rico.
Status: Engavetado
Legislation
Oct 24, 2025

Senate Bill 124

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, supports Senate Bill 124, which seeks to establish the “Bill of Rights of Migrant Persons.”
Status: Engavetado
Legislation
Jan 26, 2026

House Bill 139

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing civil and human rights, warns that House Bill 139, as written, allows for an expansion of the powers of municipal police forces without clear safeguards and adequate coordination of oversight mechanisms. One of the dangers is that it would broaden the delegation of duties that properly belong to federal authorities, including the enforcement of current immigration policies.
Status: Activo