Authorized Statements from the ACLU of PR Regarding HSI's Threat of Criminal Prosecution Against Witnesses of Immigrant Detentions

Authorized statements from Annette Martínez Orabona, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, regarding the statements made by Rebecca González Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office:

"The ACLU of Puerto Rico is monitoring the statements made by Rebecca González Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office, regarding possible criminal actions against individuals who witness detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The ACLU finds it important to remind the public that freedom of expression is a protected right, both in the U.S. Constitution and the Puerto Rico Constitution. This includes verbal expressions and actions such as recording the interventions of law enforcement agents, which are legitimate actions that do not constitute a crime. Furthermore, a detention without an arrest warrant or a judicial warrant signed by a judge is illegal in principle. We urge the media and journalists to question HSI-ICE about the existence of such warrants in each of their interventions."