Governor confirms ICE request regarding minors in state custody

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón

By The Star Staff

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón confirmed Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested information about two minors in the custody of the island Family Department, but clarified that no information will be provided without a court order.

“There is another request regarding two minors who are in the custody of the Department of Family Affairs, and we will wait for a court order. Without a court order, we will not provide any information,” González Colón said at a press conference.

“In the case of minors in state custody, the protocol that previously existed is that it is always through a court order.”

The governor said the only agency that has provided information to ICE was the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP), after receiving a federal order.

“With the DTOP case, it’s a clear-cut decision because it’s information that belongs to the federal government,” she said. “In the case of minors in state custody, we are not going to alter the protocol.”

González Colón emphasized that the government of Puerto Rico has acted within the law and will not provide information on minors without complying with legal requirements.

“We’re talking about the custody of minors in Puerto Rico,” she reiterated. “So we are not going to alter the protocol. The protocol says it’s through a court order, and if they need the information, it must be through a court order, and we have not received a court order to request that information.”

The governor stressed that any request from federal agencies must comply with established procedures.

She also emphasized that the government will not voluntarily release data and will not oppose compliance with the law when requests are submitted with the proper documentation. “The reality is that the government of Puerto Rico must act in compliance with federal laws,” González Colón said. “We cannot comply with some things and not with others. … Nothing is being done voluntarily here; all processes are being followed.”

The governor also insisted that any release of information regarding minors in state custody will be evaluated under the strictest legal parameters to guarantee the protection of the rights of the minors and their families.