Puerto Rico no longer safe bet for illegal migrants as Trump crackdown expands to US territory

Puerto Rico, which for years was seen as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, is now facing increased attention under the Trump administration, and an immigration expert tells Fox News Digital the U.S. island territory has long been a favored jurisdiction for evading immigration restrictions.

More than 200 people have been arrested since deportation operations in Puerto Rico ramped up on Jan. 26, 149 of which have been citizens of the Dominican Republic, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration data provided to the Associated Press. Local migrants are "panicking," Jose Rodriguez, the president of the Dominican Committee of Human Rights, told the AP. "They're afraid to go out; they're afraid to take their children to school."

Illegal migrants have lived in Puerto Rico "for decades," according to the report, which added that many had been staying in the U.S. territory "without fear of arrest" while many have been allowed to open bank accounts, obtain driver's licenses and even open their own businesses.

But Heritage Foundation Border Security and Immigration Center director Lora Ries tells Fox that's long been a problem with island territories like Puerto Rico and Guam.

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"These localities allow them to open bank accounts, give driver's licenses, allow them to open businesses, it's just facilitating and prolonging this illegal immigration," Ries said. "And then, of course, the immigrants, the aliens, if they are put into removal proceedings by ICE, then they use that as a shield, a defense, saying, 'You can't deport me because I've been here so many years, and I have a business here, and I have these financial ties.'"

The recent raids have "shattered the perception" that the island territory is a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, causing many to live in fear about their own fate.

Ries said that despite the perception of safety, illegal migrants in any U.S. territory face the same potential consequences as those on the mainland United States.

"They always skip over personal responsibility. They knew they broke the law. They knew they were continuing to break the law. They knew that they could be arrested and removed and detained for breaking the law … don't try to shift responsibility to the U.S. government and then play victim," Ries said.

Ries noted that U.S. territories, including those in the Pacific such as Guam, are often jumping-off points for illegal migrants, who first enter there and then find easier travel to the mainland United States. Meanwhile, others start a life that they try to later use as a "shield" from immigration authorities.

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A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the AP that the agency has focused its efforts in Puerto Rico on those with a criminal record or those who have received a final court ruling to leave the country.

Nevertheless, the AP report said there has been a surge in support for Puerto Rico's illegal immigrant population, noting that volunteers have been working to provide meals to families too afraid to leave their house, while government officials from multiple jurisdictions have moved to limit cooperation with federal authorities.

Ries argued the situation is no different from those that have played out in many areas of the U.S., where so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions have severely limited cooperation with federal authorities and prioritized illegal migrants over their native citizens.

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"It's the same thing," Ries said. "It's local officials not cooperating with federal agents, or local officials dedicating very limited resources and time and attention to illegal aliens rather than their own constituents. They need to do a better job representing their citizens to giving their resources to citizens."

ICE did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.