Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP, in Spanish), under pro-statehood and Republican Governor Jennifer Gonzalez’s administration, handed over a list of undocumented drivers to the federal government. Most of those affected are of Dominican origin.
The local government claimed it needed to protect access to federal funds. But this wasn’t about policy or budget; it was a political betrayal. And not just of Dominicans. Puerto Rico’s government just showed that it would sell out any Latin American migrant to gain favor with Washington.
That wasn’t a tough decision for them. They didn’t resist. They didn’t challenge the subpoena in court. They didn’t defend the undocumented. They complied willingly, quietly, and strategically to demonstrate to their master that they knew how to obey.
Yes, the Dominican community took the brunt of it. But this act carries a brutal message for all Latin Americans living in Puerto Rico: the colonial government will turn you in, not because it has to, but because it wants to remain in the good graces of Washington.
The betrayal stings deeper because many Dominicans have historically supported Puerto Rico’s statehood movement and even voted for Jennifer Gonzalez. And yet, when Washington came knocking, her government handed over their names without hesitation. The issue is much more than immigration policy. It’s about how colonial power operates.
The United States has always used Puerto Rico as a “showcase” for Latin America, a place to point to and say: “Look, this is what democracy under capitalism looks like.” But what sits behind that glass isn’t real prosperity. It’s a deeply unequal, heavily indebted colony propped up by federal funds and governed by people who earn political capital by betraying the vulnerable.
In Puerto Rico, the showcase stays clean by discarding anyone who might “dirty” the view. Undocumented migrants, who work jobs no one else wants, raise families, and pay sales and income taxes, don’t fit the image. So, the government disposes of them to maintain the illusion of law and order.
Some islanders defend the governor’s actions by saying that Puerto Rico is a “law and order” society. Ironically, law and order only seem to matter when the federal government demands compliance. Locally, there is no consistent rule of law, only corruption, impunity, and collapse.
Governor Jennifer Gonzalez, a staunch Trump ally, aligned herself with the very party that leads attacks on immigrants nationwide. Her administration didn’t defend the people. It protected its access to money. They sold out undocumented migrants to preserve their political image and financial dependency.
As a Puerto Rican living outside the island, I fear the U.S. government more in Puerto Rico than in any U.S. state. Why? There, betrayal isn’t just a possibility but a political strategy. People in power will often throw each other under the bus to gain favor with the federal government. They don’t resist Washington like the states; they obsequiously bow to it.
And that fear has a history behind it. Puerto Rico has long helped federal authorities repress, silence, and dismantle political dissidence against Washington, often using its institutions and leaders as tools of enforcement. The recent targeting of undocumented migrants, mostly Dominicans, isn’t an exception. It’s the latest chapter in a book of internalized colonial obedience.
Today, it’s migrants. Yesterday, it was people who disagreed. Tomorrow, it might be anyone who steps out of line.
And remember this: Donald Trump will kick Puerto Rico to the curb once he’s done using the island for his agenda. And worse, it will happen after Puerto Rico has already betrayed its sister nations. Hold on to that memory. You’ll need it.
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