SAN JUAN —  Undocumented Dominican migrants in Puerto Rico are being arrested by federal immigration authorities while trying to return to the Dominican Republic, even as the Trump administration promotes a national campaign encouraging migrants to self-deport from the United States.

Between January and April, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested eight undocumented migrants attempting to leave Puerto Rico for the Dominican Republic, according to public court records reviewed by The Latino Newsletter. Seven were stopped at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, and one was arrested at a ferry terminal. At least one of the arrests was part of a targeted immigration operation.

The arrests appear to contradict the administration’s stated goal of encouraging voluntary departures. Last week, President Trump floated the idea of providing plane tickets and stipends to migrants who leave on their own. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched an ad campaign urging migrants to self-deport under threat of daily fines.

“I do not understand why you would get arrested if you decide to leave. They are going to save on the airplane ticket or on sending you to Miami or sending you to Texas. You would save all those costs if that person leaves voluntarily,” José Rodríguez, president of the Dominican Committee of Human Rights, told The Latino Newsletter. 

Since Trump signed his first immigration executive orders on January 20, more than 300 undocumented migrants have been detained across Puerto Rico, according to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is leading immigration enforcement on the island. Of those, 215 were processed at CBP’s San Juan field office. Only eight have been “going outbound to a foreign country,” according to CBP Public Affairs Specialist Jeffrey Quiñones.

“Undocumented aliens attempting to leave are unlawfully present in the U.S. Being ‘unlawfully present’ in the U.S generally means an individual is in the country without the proper legal status or has overstayed their authorized period of stay. This can have significant consequences, including being barred from re-entry for a certain period,” Quiñones said. 

Contrary to the Trump administration’s claims that they are only going after “violent criminals,” the majority of the eight Dominican migrants have never been convicted of a violent crime. Four had never been convicted of any crime but had previously been removed from the U.S., according to court records. The migrants were held at a federal detention center in Guaynabo. One person was held there for more than two weeks. However, none of the migrants appear in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee locator. It is unclear if they are still within the U.S. or if they have been deported.

That lack of clarity has raised questions about the federal government’s intent in Puerto Rico.

Immigration attorney María del Rosario García Miranda explained that raids like the January one in San Juan’s Barrio Obrero neighborhood are meant to show that Trump is keeping his campaign promises and adding to deportation statistics. However, the shock-and-awe momentum is hard to keep up, which is why immigration authorities have started acquiring data from other federal agencies, like the Internal Revenue Service, to be able to go after migrants more directly. 

“What’s being put on is a show,” added García Miranda, who is also the Puerto Rico chapter president of the American Association of Immigration Lawyers (AILA). She believes Trump’s proposed airfare and stipend plan is unfeasible and questioned where funds for it would come from. 

Although it is unclear if Trump’s proposed “self-deportation program” is currently in the process of being implemented or if it was a one-off remark, the Department of Homeland Security rebranded the CBP One app to “CBP Home” and included a self-deportation reporting feature. Although they have not cited specific data, DHS has said that many are using the application to self-deport. The Department of Homeland Security revoked the legal status of migrants who entered the US through CBP One and told them to leave “immediately.” 

“There is no common-sense migration policy here. What’s happening here is they are making up day after day,” Rodríguez said. He criticized the CBP Home app for appearing to offer immigration relief, but instead functioning just like any other deportation tool. 

As a result of Trump’s policies, migrants across the United States are pondering whether to stay or self-deport. Prior to Trump taking office, several migrants left the country for fear of how they would be treated under his immigration policy. In Puerto Rico, three undocumented migrants were arrested while attempting to leave for the Dominican Republic by boat the day after Christmas. 

ICE did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

About the Author

Carlos Berríos Polanco is a journalist from Puerto Rico covering climate, conflict, and the intersection of the two.

We want to keep The Latino Newsletter accessible without paywalls. To help, you can donate here. Any amount (one-time or monthly) will keep us going.

The Latino Content Hub

Click on the image below or here for the latest from the Latino Content Hub.

What We’re Reading

The First Latin American Pope: Monday was a whirlwind of news stories on the death of Pope Francis. NBC News published a story about what the world’s first Latin American pope meant to U.S. Latino Catholics.

Do you believe in creating new journalism lanes for Latinos and Latinas? Do you believe that U.S. mainstream outlets will never understand our community? Consider donating to The Latino Newsletter. Any little bit helps to keep this newsletter free and accessible to all. ¡Gracias mil!