Puerto Rico 2025

In the context of immigration control operations that were being carried out, human rights organizations denounced arbitrary and discriminatory detention of people from Black and impoverished communities. The Legislative Assembly approved bills that violated the rights of LGBTI people. Legislation was also approved restricting sexual and reproductive rights and access to public information.

Background

Power outages were frequent, as were massive blackouts, affecting access to health and water for millions of people.

In November, the federal Department of Justice requested the death penalty for Edwin Yadiel Flores Tavárez. Although prohibited at the state level, it could still be applied in cases under federal jurisdiction.

Refugees’ and migrants’ rights

Implementation of US president Donald Trump’s immigration policy led to an increase in raids and arrests carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, using racial profiling based on accent and physical appearance. As of 26 November, 1,431 migrants had been detained, according to data published on social media by the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Juan. These arrests were sometimes carried out without a warrant, and the handing over of administrative documents, such as a driver’s licence, was used as a means to obtain information by deception. The government collaborated with US federal agencies by providing this type of information on people with irregular migratory status.

Puerto Rico lacked immigration detention centres, so those arrested were taken to temporary ICE facilities on the island and subsequently transferred out of Puerto Rico; this made it difficult for them to communicate with local legal professionals and limited their access to adequate legal representation.

A bill introduced in the House of Representatives at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that seeks to establish safe spaces for migrant communities was still pending approval at the end of the year.

Sexual and reproductive rights

In February, the Senate approved Bill 297, requiring written consent from a parent or legal guardian for girls under the age of 16 to access abortion services. This requirement did not apply when pregnancy was the result of sexual violence by the father or legal guardian.

In June, the secretary of justice announced that steps would be taken to prosecute clinics or individuals performing abortions outside the limits permitted by law.

In August, Puerto Rico’s governor signed Senate Bill 2 into law, enabling parents and legal guardians of pupils in the public education system to object to curricular content relating to sex and emotional education.

In December, the governor also signed into law Senate Bill 504, which recognized the legal status of an “unborn child”, despite warnings from a group of doctors and other health professionals that the bill posed risks to the lives of pregnant people and violated their autonomy.

LGBTI people’s rights

In April, the government signed the Fundamental Right to Religious Freedom Act, seen by human rights defenders as a means to enable discrimination, especially against LGBTI people, under the guise of religious freedom.

In May, the Federal District Court of Puerto Rico ordered the Demographic Registry to include the “X” marker as a third gender identity option on birth certificates. In June, the US First Circuit Court of Appeals initially accepted the government’s request to stay that order.

In July, the government signed Law 63-2025, prohibiting gender-affirming health care for people under the age of 21.

In October, the House of Representatives approved Bill 165 to ban inclusive bathrooms in government facilities, arguing, without evidence, that this would prevent sexual violence against women.

By the end of the year, four bills under consideration in the House of Representatives that sought to further restrict the rights of LGBTI people were still pending approval.

Women’s and girls’ rights

According to the Gender Equity Observatory, 63 feminicides or alleged feminicides had been reported in the year. In October, Puerto Rico’s Court of Appeals declared an article of the Penal Code relating to this type of homicide unconstitutional, on grounds that it violated due process and the presumption of innocence.

According to human rights organizations, migrant women were more exposed to domestic violence, exploitation and abuse due to fear of being deported after filing a report, in light of new immigration policies. ICE refused to release sex or gender disaggregated data on detainees, despite this being public information.

Unlawful use of force

According to the organization Kilómetro 0, at least 13 people died in Puerto Rico at the hands of the police, four of them involving cases of emotional crisis associated with mental health problems. In order to determine whether excessive force had been applied, the police commissioner in March ordered an administrative investigation following an incident where an electric stun gun had been used during a woman’s arrest.

Right to information

Law 114-2025, amending the Demographic Registry Law, was approved in September. This restricted access to public information, including birth, marriage and death certificates, and created further obstacles to the right of access to information, particularly for the scientific community. Human rights organizations warned that the law made it more difficult to obtain the information required for research and public policy development.

In December, the governor signed Bill 63 into law, which amends the Transparency and Expedited Procedure for Access to Public Information Act and significantly extends the response times of government agencies, affecting accountability for government actions and decisions.