Three congressional Democrats call for the agency’s elimination following immigration raids, including an operation at a San Juan church.
Three Democratic lawmakers called for the elimination of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its removal from Puerto Rico on Friday, condemning the agency’s immigration raids and demanding an end to its operations on the island. The call came two days after federal agents carried out an operation at a Catholic church in San Juan, which several organizations denounced.
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U.S. Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Adriano Espaillat, along with Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner in Washington, Pablo José Hernández, made the demand at a news conference in San Juan, citing the negative impact of ICE enforcement on the island’s immigrant communities.
Velázquez, a veteran Democratic congresswoman, said the agency should be dismantled rather than reformed.
“We have reached a point where we should not even consider reforms. What needs to happen is for ICE to be removed from the jurisdiction of Homeland Security and eliminated as an agency,” she said.
🚨 Nueva York amenaza con demandar a la Administración Trump si el ICE usa espacios públicos como base de redadas. Un agente disparó en el cuello a Oscar Belgal, de 28 años, ante su hijo de cinco en El Bronx. #teleSUR #05Nov #ICE #inmigracion #eeuu pic.twitter.com/96uakbW7Iz
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) November 5, 2026
Text Reads: 🚨 New York threatens to sue the Trump administration if ICE uses public spaces as a base for raids. An agent shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in the neck in front of his five-year-old son in the Bronx.
Espaillat, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, also called for ICE’s abolition, accusing the agency of operating without adequate training and engaging in violence.
“ICE must be eliminated,” he said, describing the agency as “completely out of control.”
He also criticized agents’ conduct, citing their disputed records, use of long guns and alleged killings.
Hernández outlined safeguards for any agency that might replace ICE, including a ban on officers wearing masks, mandatory body cameras, restrictions on enforcement in sensitive locations and an end to the use of long guns.
“I support the position that ICE cannot be reformed and must be eliminated. The agencies that replace it should operate humanely and responsibly and respect human rights,” he said.
The lawmakers’ demands come amid growing uncertainty in Puerto Rico’s immigrant communities over immigration enforcement under U.S. President Donald Trump.
Since early 2025, raids ordered by the Trump administration have resulted in thousands of arrests and deportations, fueling fear in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations.
The recent operation at a Catholic church in San Juan further intensified criticism of the agency.
Velázquez also criticized Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González, a Trump supporter, for agreeing to provide federal authorities with confidential information on approximately 6,321 migrants to facilitate immigration raids on the island.
The congresswoman warned that the disclosure could have consequences beyond immigration enforcement, particularly for access to public services.
“That also puts Puerto Rico’s public health at risk, because people will be afraid to go to a hospital, and children will be afraid to go to school,” she said.
According to the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, approximately 60,000 Dominicans live on the island, which has a population of just over three million.
The lawmakers’ demand for ICE’s elimination follows months of immigration enforcement operations in Puerto Rico and renewed criticism of the agency’s conduct. Their call comes as immigrant communities face continued uncertainty over raids, arrests and deportations.
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