Dominicans in Puerto Rico at risk after driver data shared with ICE

Puerto Rico.- Thousands of Dominicans in Puerto Rico are facing uncertainty after it was revealed that the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) has been sharing personal data of drivers without defined immigration status with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) confirmed that the request for the list of immigrant drivers was made in January 2025 and includes information such as names, birth dates, and possibly addresses of over 5,000 individuals, including many Dominicans—a key economic group on the island.

HSI’s local director stated that the data is being used to identify immigrants with deportation orders or criminal records. However, this action has sparked outrage among immigrant communities, who now fear deportation under President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies. Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Public Affairs defended the government’s cooperation, insisting it acted within the legal framework, while confirming the legitimacy of the federal request.

The situation has drawn strong criticism from former Governor Alejandro García Padilla, who condemned the release of data as a betrayal of Law 97, enacted in 2013 under his administration. The law allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses to promote road safety—not for immigration enforcement. Padilla called those who authorized the data release “bad people” and emphasized that the original intent of the law was humanitarian, not punitive.