Federal, state agencies create Homeland Security Task Force for San Juan, US Virgin Islands

Rebecca González Ramos, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations San Juan

By THE STAR STAFF

Federal and commonwealth agencies formally established the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) for the San Juan and Virgin Islands region on Thursday, as part of an initiative described by the U.S. government as the largest coordinated campaign against transnational criminal organizations in the country’s history.

The new structure follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan, the local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and several federal and commonwealth agencies. The initiative is in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump under the policy titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”

“I am proud to lead HSTF San Juan and USVI alongside the FBI,” said Rebecca González Ramos, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan, in a written statement. “For the first time, all law enforcement agencies are located in one place with the purpose of eliminating transnational criminal organizations. Together, we are stronger.”

The task force consists of personnel from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, DSS, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Service, and the Coast Guard. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico and its counterpart in the U.S. Virgin Islands will lead criminal prosecutions.

According to HSI, since Aug. 15, the San Juan Task Force has made 69 arrests and seized more than 1,008 kilograms of cocaine. Nationwide, authorities report more than 3,200 arrests and the seizure of more than 91 metric tons of narcotics within a six-week period.

“This structure represents a unified commitment to protecting the American people,” said Claudia Dubravetz, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s local office. “We will use every legal tool at our disposal to confront the cartels, foreign gangs, and criminal networks that threaten our communities.”

The Task Force has three main objectives: to eliminate the presence of transnational criminal organizations in the United States, to dismantle human trafficking networks with an emphasis on rescuing minors, and to utilize all available public and national security mechanisms to enforce immigration laws.

Coordination includes logistical and intelligence support from the Department of Defense and various intelligence sector entities, according to reports. Authorities stated that the ultimate goal is to strengthen security in the United States and its territories, protect communities, and reduce the activities of criminal organizations involved in violence, drug trafficking, and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.