Seven Dominican women arrested in Puerto Rico immigration raid

Puerto Rico.- Federal authorities in Puerto Rico arrested 53 individuals—including seven Dominican women—during an immigration enforcement operation early Thursday at a construction site for the La Concha Hotel in the Condado tourist area. The individuals were reportedly working for a subcontractor and lacked valid identification, with several admitting they had no legal immigration status.

Rebecca González, director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), stated the operation was carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with support from other federal agencies. Detainees were taken to ICE offices in San Juan for immigration status verification and possible criminal review in coordination with the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

So far in 2025, ICE-HSI has arrested 364 undocumented individuals in Puerto Rico—245 of them Dominican nationals—with 67 facing serious criminal charges. Thursday’s operation was part of a broader labor compliance initiative that has inspected 238 businesses to date. La Concha Hotel has cooperated with the investigation, clarifying that the arrested individuals were subcontracted workers, not hotel staff.