53 undocumented migrants are detained in Condado

By The Star Staff

A total of 53 individuals, including seven women, were detained early Thursday morning by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during an operation in the Condado district of San Juan.

Rebecca González, director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Puerto Rico, reported that those arrested are Dominican nationals who were employed by a subcontracted construction company working on a project at the La Concha Hotel.

“None of those detained had identification documents, and some have admitted they do not have a defined immigration status,” González told the media.

The 53 individuals were taken to the ICE-HSI facility in San Juan to have their immigration status verified in the federal database. González said that if any violations of federal criminal laws are discovered, the cases will be referred to the Attorney General’s Office.

The operation was part of the compliance inspections ICE conducts at businesses to identify unauthorized employees. So far this year, 238 businesses have been raided.

González clarified that those arrested were not employees of the hotel itself, but rather workers from an unnamed subcontracted company. She also confirmed that La Concha has cooperated with the investigation.