HSI

As Homeland Security Investigations in Puerto Rico does not rule out immigration enforcement operations at universities, professors, students and staff still do not know how to respond if agents intervene on campus.

The federal Education Department is eliminating Hispanic-Serving Institutions and minority-focused programs, cutting $20.7 million that eight Puerto Rican universities received this academic year for research, infrastructure, and student support.

With a student body that is 97% Hispanic, Puerto Rico’s public and private universities face significant risk if a federal lawsuit to end grants for Hispanic-Serving Institutions succeeds.

Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups are sounding the alarm over widespread violations of immigrant rights in Puerto Rico, driven by racial profiling practices carried out by both local law enforcement and federal immigration agents.