The ACLU demands the US release and return a Dominican woman living legally in Puerto Rico [View all]

Source: AP

Updated 5:52 PM EDT, June 9, 2025


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — In late May, a 47-year-old woman from the Dominican Republic was detained by police in Puerto Rico after she entered a municipal building seeking a permit to sell ice cream on the beach to support herself.

Upon being turned over to federal agents, the Dominican woman presented her passport, driver’s license and work permits that proved she was living in the U.S. territory legally, her attorney Ángel Robles and the American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico, said Monday.

Despite the documents presented, authorities recently transferred her to Texas as part of a federal crackdown on migrants living illegally in U.S. jurisdictions. The woman, whose first name is Aracelis, has not been fully identified because she is a victim of domestic violence.

Aracelis is among hundreds of people who have been detained in Puerto Rico since large-scale arrests began in late January, surprising many in the U.S. territory that has long welcomed migrants. Robles and the ACLU demanded Aracelis’ release and return to Puerto Rico. “It’s outrageous,” Robles said in a phone interview. “No charges have been filed against her, and she is not in the system.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-us-dominican-immigrant-arrest-61cc07cdc6f85fd9d45905e9dab41e4d