Federal Judge Orders ICE to Bring Back Mexican Immigrant Removed from Puerto Rico

San Juan, P.R. - Federal Judge Raúl Arias Marxuach ordered federal immigration agencies on Wednesday to bring Sandro González Domínguez back to Puerto Rico. He had been removed from the local jurisdiction while the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico was considering a habeas corpus petition filed on the Mexican immigrant's behalf by the Puerto Rico chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

"Sandro was hastily put on a plane by immigration agents, despite the fact that they were already aware of the case pending in federal court. What happened is yet another example of the authoritarian and undemocratic style of President Trump and unscrupulous agents who disregard the very Constitution they swore to defend," stated attorney Fermín Arraiza, Legal Director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico.

González Domínguez has lived in the United States and Puerto Rico for 28 years and has two U.S. citizen daughters, aged 26 and 19. The Mexican immigrant—detained on Saturday by masked agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—is the co-owner of a restaurant business with eight locations across the archipelago, employing approximately 115 people. He was detained by masked agents on September 26 outside one of the restaurants he co-owns. "This individual not only has community and family ties to Puerto Rico but also exemplifies how the migrant community is part of the economy that drives and sustains our country, even amidst the institutional violence our immigrants face," stated Arraiza, while demanding an end to the unlawful detention of immigrants in the archipelago.

The ACLU of Puerto Rico filed a habeas corpus petition on the night of September 28. The petition specifically sought to prevent González Domínguez’s transfer out of the Puerto Rico jurisdiction. Immigration agencies were informed of the case and were aware of the proceedings. Despite this, around 4:42 p.m., González Domínguez’s name disappeared from the ICE detainee locator system, which had previously placed him in San Juan. Judge Arias Marxuach issued his opinion and order regarding the habeas corpus petition at 5:45 p.m. Subsequently, the judge was notified via an urgent motion about ICE’s actions and González Domínguez’s transfer.

"The public needs to know that federal immigration authorities continue to violate the rights of immigrants residing in our archipelago, disregarding procedures established by federal laws and regulations—as well as the U.S. Constitution—thereby rendering the detention of Sandro and thousands of other immigrants unlawful," stated attorney María "Charito" García, González Domínguez’s immigration lawyer and director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) School of Law.

The ACLU of Puerto Rico, together with the UPR School of Law’s Immigration Clinic and the Inter American University School of Law’s Legal Aid Clinic, has represented twelve immigrants—including Sandro—whose basic rights have been violated. Their cases represent just a sample of the experiences undergone by thousands of immigrants who are part of our communities in Puerto Rico.