The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the local government to demand the release of all documents related to the transfer of confidential information on approximately 6,000 migrants who obtained driver’s licenses on the island.
- In response, the ACLU-PR is demanding the immediate release of all documents related to the transfer of data on these thousands of migrants who obtained driver’s licenses under Law Number 97 of 2013, as explained by the organization in a statement.
- “If such an order exists, what we are requesting is precisely that it be made public, in compliance with the constitutional mandate,” she added.
- “We are facing a humanitarian crisis created by the government itself, where the majority of those detained have been unable to contact their families. They have been denied due process of law, and have been illegally removed from our jurisdiction,” stated Fermín Arraiza Navas, legal director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico.
The organization filed a writ of 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.
The lawsuit follows after the DTOP refused to provide copies of the information requests issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as the legal assessments and the information that was handed over to comply with those requests.
In response, the ACLU-PR is demanding the immediate release of all documents related to the transfer of data on these thousands of migrants who obtained driver’s licenses under Law Number 97 of 2013, as explained by the organization in a statement.
“The legislative intent of that law was precisely to protect the data for non-immigration purposes. Therefore, the government acted illegally by providing that information to a federal agency without what appears to be a judge-signed court order,” stated Annette Martínez-Orabona, executive director of the ACLU-PR.
“If such an order exists, what we are requesting is precisely that it be made public, in compliance with the constitutional mandate,” she added.
According to the ACLU-PR, the lawsuit is based on the public revelation that the DTOP, between February and March 2025, handed over to federal immigration agencies personal data of approximately 6,000 drivers with irregular immigration status.
Subsequently, the federal government itself confirmed that this data is being actively used to identify immigrants, locate them, arrest them without a court order, and deport them.
As a result, the ACLU-PR stated that this action by the Puerto Rico government was carried out in direct contravention of Law 97-2013, which orders the DTOP secretary to establish the necessary mechanisms so that this registry cannot be used to discriminate or disclose the information.
“We are facing a humanitarian crisis created by the government itself, where the majority of those detained have been unable to contact their families. They have been denied due process of law, and have been illegally removed from our jurisdiction,” stated Fermín Arraiza Navas, legal director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico.
“The people have a fundamental right to know under what legal assumptions this information was handed over, putting thousands of lives at risk,” Arraiza Navas emphasized.
Image: DiarioNY
