Puerto Rico ICE Subpoena on 6,000 Drivers Still Secret a Year After Lawsuit
PUERTO RICO · IMMIGRATION
Key Facts
- —What is pending Puerto Rico’s transport department (DTOP) had still not released a US immigration subpoena for driver data by 1 October 2026, El Nuevo Día reported.
- —The lawsuit The ACLU of Puerto Rico sued for the document on 1 October 2025 in the San Juan court of first instance, the appeals court ruling records.
- —The rulings The ACLU has won four court decisions and expects the Supreme Court to reject DTOP once more, El Nuevo Día reported on 1 October 2026.
- —The data Federal agents asked for the names and addresses of roughly 6,000 people licensed under a 2013 law, an NPR report quoted in the 7 January 2026 ruling says.
- —The condition The appeals court said DTOP must comply once its judgment becomes final, and kept enforcement on hold until then (ruling of 7 January 2026).
A Puerto Rico ICE subpoena for immigrant driver data stays private while the island’s Supreme Court has its final word.
Puerto Rico’s transport department has still not released a US immigration subpoena for data on thousands of immigrant drivers. El Nuevo Día reported this on 1 October 2026. The ACLU of Puerto Rico sued for the document exactly one year earlier and has won four court decisions since.
A request from ICE, a promise from a local law
The agency is the Department of Transportation and Public Works, known by its Spanish initials DTOP. It issues driving licences in Puerto Rico, a US territory in the Caribbean.
In January 2025 it received a subpoena from ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. A subpoena is a legal order to hand over documents or information.
ICE wanted data on immigrants who held provisional licences. Law 97 of 2013 created those licences for people without settled immigration status. The law promised to keep their data confidential.
What federal agents already said
The data has already left DTOP. Rebecca González-Ramos heads Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on the island. She told NPR, the US public radio network, that the request went out in late January 2025.
She said agents began receiving the data between February and March 2025. HSI is the investigative arm of the US Department of Homeland Security.
According to NPR, agents sought the names and addresses of roughly 6,000 people licensed under the law. The appeals court quoted that report in its ruling.
ICE told El Nuevo Día in June 2025 that it wanted to check the list against final deportation orders. It said it aimed to find people without status who had an active criminal record.
Four rulings for the ACLU
The ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union, first asked DTOP for the subpoena on 10 June 2025. It used Puerto Rico’s public records law. DTOP answered only in part and refused to hand over the subpoena.
On 1 October 2025 the ACLU filed a mandamus petition in the San Juan court of first instance. Such a petition asks a court to order an official to act.
That court ruled for the ACLU in November 2025. Puerto Rico’s Justice Department said on 8 November that it would appeal, El Nuevo Día reported.
On 7 January 2026 the Court of Appeals confirmed the ruling and declared the subpoena a public document. In April 2026 the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico rejected DTOP’s request to review the case.
What the appeals court found
The three-judge panel said no federal or local law bars someone who receives a federal subpoena from disclosing it. The document only “requests” secrecy, the judges wrote, without citing any legal authority.
The judges also said release could not harm any investigation. ICE, HSI and DTOP had already confirmed the request, its purpose and DTOP’s compliance to the press.
The lower court had ordered that any detail identifying the drivers be protected. The appeals court kept that safeguard in place.
It also ruled that DTOP must comply only once the judgment is final, and it kept enforcement on hold until then. That condition explains why the document is still not public.
The government’s position
Governor Jenniffer González said in November 2025 that she personally saw no objection to releasing the document. She added that the Justice Department had “the last word”, El Nuevo Día reported.
The agency has not said when it will release the subpoena. The ACLU now expects the Supreme Court to reject DTOP once more, El Nuevo Día reported on 1 October 2026.
Why it matters beyond the island
Several US states also issue licences to immigrants without legal status. How Puerto Rico handled one federal request is a test of what such confidentiality promises are worth.
For the roughly 6,000 licence holders, the data is already in federal hands. The open question is how much the public will learn about the request that took it there.
What comes next
A further Supreme Court decision against DTOP could make the judgment final. The order to release the subpoena would then take effect.
Fermín Arraiza Navas, the ACLU of Puerto Rico’s legal director, is leading the case. Both sides now wait for the court’s next decision.
More: Puerto Rico news, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Puerto Rico ICE subpoena case about?
The ACLU of Puerto Rico wants the island’s transport department, DTOP, to release a US immigration subpoena it received in January 2025. The subpoena sought data on immigrant drivers with provisional licences. Courts have ruled four times for the ACLU.
How many drivers are affected?
Federal agents sought the names and addresses of roughly 6,000 people licensed under Puerto Rico’s Law 97 of 2013. That figure comes from an NPR report cited by the appeals court. Federal and local officials have confirmed the data was handed over.
Why has the document not been released yet?
The appeals court ruled on 7 January 2026 that DTOP must comply once the judgment becomes final. Enforcement stays on hold until then, and the ACLU is waiting for another Supreme Court decision.
Sources: El Nuevo Día · El Nuevo Día · El Nuevo Día · El Nuevo Día · Puerto Rico Court of Appeals
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