Thursday, July 18, 2013

Political Status of Puerto Rico: Geopolitical, Geostrategic and National Security Aspects - Links Review - Updated on 7.18.13

Political Status of Puerto Rico: Geopolitical, Geostrategic and National Security Aspects - Links Review - Originally Published on 6.20.13, Updated on 6.27.13. 

Mike Nova: 

What will serve the (joint, one and the same, due to a joint nature of foreign policy) geopolitical and the geostrategic interests of The United States and Puerto Rico better: statehood or the current status? 

Various factors have to be considered, among them: 

1) The Caribbean and Latin America as a battleground of conflicting political ideologies and governing models in the light and darknesses of old Russian shoe-ins and relatively newly economically expansionist China, eyeing to control trade routes with the planned Nicaragua canal, "a step that looks set to have profound geopolitical ramifications", a "project will reinforce China's growing influence on global trade and weaken US dominance over a key shipping route", according to "The Guardian"

In this connection the paper mentioned the issue of " China...  influencing the international court of justice to secure the territorial waters that Nicaragua needs for the project.
In an op-ed piece for the magazine Semana, Noemí Sanín, a former Colombian foreign secretary, and Miguel Ceballos, a former vice-minister of justice, said a Chinese judge had settled in Nicaragua's favour on a 13-year-old dispute over 75,000 square kilometres of sea.
They said this took place soon after Nicaraguan officials signed a memorandum of understanding last September with Wang Jing, the chairman of Xinwei Telecom and president of the newly established Hong Kong firm HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Company, to build and operate the canal."

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From russia and the caribbean - Google Search



Cuba, China and Russia Reject US Report on Human Trafficking

Radio Cadena Agramonet-15 hours agoShare
Cuba, China and Russia rejected today a statement by the US State ... accusation and stated that the US blockade against that Caribbean ...


Russia Seeks to Restore Influence in Latin America
The Moscow Times-May 29, 2013

Russia Seeks to Restore Influence in Latin America | News | The Moscow Times



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Russia Seeks to Restore Influence in Latin America

Foreign Minister Lavrov meeting with counterparts countries in the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States.
Misha Japaridze / AP
Foreign Minister Lavrov meeting with counterparts countries in the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States.

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Nicaragua Canal Agreement Signed By President Daniel Ortega ...

Huffington Post-Jun 15, 2013Share
The signing took place a day after Nicaragua's National Assembly voted to grant Hong Kong-based HKNicaragua Canal Development ...

Nicaragua Approves Building Its Own Canal
New York Times-Jun 14, 2013

As has been the case for centuries — since around the time of the first proposal for a Nicaraguan canal, in 1825 — Panama also appears to be several steps ahead. Its recent expansion effort to accommodate larger “supermax” cargo ships makes it a more appealing option now and in the future. Many experts say Nicaragua is going to have a hard time convincing investors that there are enough ships to support a second Central American canal.
“Even if they did get the $40 billion, the increases in traffic are increasingly speculative,” Mr. Maurer said. Other experts agreed, noting that while Mr. Ortega and his allies would love to have a canal — viewing it as a pathway out of Nicaragua’s persistent poverty — their hopes will most likely be dashed yet again.
“That the Assembly approved the project doesn’t mean that the company has found the investors to make it happen,” said Geoff Thale, program director of the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group, adding that as with “lots of big commercial ventures that are announced with lots of bells and whistles,” the likelihood of success was slim.


Assembly approves massive Nicaragua canal project
USA TODAY-Jun 15, 2013

» China and the Caribbean a Marriage Made in Heaven? | Le ...
10/06/13 21:21 from china and the caribbean - Google Blog Search
The Caribbean Journal, By Zhivargo Laing CJ Contributor, June 10, 2013. ON A recent radio show in the Bahamas, the topic of China's $8 million loan to the country was being discussed. A curious caller asked, what do the Chinese want&nbs..

» CELAC: Russia Strengthens Ties With Latin America, Caribbean ...
10/06/13 19:30 from russia and the caribbean - Google Blog Search
russia and celac The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) states and Russia will create a mechanism for political dialogue, said in a statement issued at the end of a meeting in Moscow of the foreign  ... 



Posted on 

CELAC: Russia Strengthens Ties With Latin America, Caribbean


russia and celacThe Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) states and Russia will create a mechanism for political dialogue, said in a statement issued at the end of a meeting in Moscow of the foreign ministers of the “expanded troika” of CELAC (Cuba, Chile, Costa Rica and Haiti) and Russia.
“Ministers have proposed to set up a permanent mechanism for political dialogue and cooperation Russia-CELAC to discuss and coordinate positions on issues of common interest in international politics,” reads the document.
According to the text, such cooperation will include promoting the principles of international law and the Charter of the UN, “to strengthen democracy and to ensure that all human rights, the fight against international terrorism in all its forms and in all its manifestations, including its funding to suppress drug trafficking and arms trafficking in the legalization of criminal proceeds and transnational organized crime. “This will be subject to the review and approval of other members of the Community at the next meeting of Foreign Ministers.
Founded in late 2011, the CELAC has 33 member states. It includes the countries of the Americas except Canada and the United States, and is a kind of alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS).
Source:  http://www.windpower2010.com/celac-russia-towards-a-mechanism-for-political-dialogue/
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2) The ever surging (and not very far in its connections from the previous issue) drug trade in the Caribbean, which besides its primary threat to the security of the mainland, fuels the government corruption in the area, undermines the legal economies and creates the excess cash in need of "laundering". It is also widely viewed as one of the main sources of rampant crime and lack of social integration in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, tearing at the fabric of social life and perspectives for economic prosperity. 

U.S. State Department predicted " a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as operations shift to the tropics due to a crackdown in much of Latin America."

"Aerial surveys by the US Military’s Southern Command show that drug traffickers are shifting back to Caribbean sea routes in response to pressure on trafficking corridors running through the Central American isthmus.
Drug networks have also adopted new tactics to evade detection, officials at the Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF-S) told the Guatemalan news organization Siglo21. Traffickers now slow their go-fast boats, whose high speeds once made them easy to spot, to the pace of normal fishing boats and sometimes conceal them amid a fleet of up to 20 other vessels.
...
The new maritime routes have not yet supplanted overland trafficking, DEA administrator Michele Leonhart said in a statement (see pdf here) before the US House of Representatives subcommittee on crime, terrorism, and homeland security in June. With pressure set to continue on trafficking corridors in Central America, though, it is likely the Caribbean will be increasingly utilized for drug shipments."

"Though Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have made significant efforts in addressing the burgeoning drug trade, the United States says more still needs to be done.
In its 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, released here this week, the US Department of State lauded general efforts being made, but was very critical of what it regarded as inefficient measures implemented in some countries."

"It is estimated that nearly 80% of the cocaine through Puerto Rico is directed to cities along the east coast of the United States, particularly cities along the coast of Florida."

"Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) Executive Director Juan E. Hernández today announced that Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), agreed to his request made during a meeting they held on May 8, for Puerto Rico to be included within the increased border security measures, proposed in the comprehensive immigration reform bill that started to be debated this week in the U.S. Senate."

"America’s Caribbean Border – The Under-Protected Front in the Nation’s War on Drugs

As the first line of defense along the nation’s Caribbean Border, the U.S. territory of
Puerto Rico needs many of the same resources provided to the U.S. states bordering Mexico to
combat the illicit drug trade. The drug-related violence taking place at unprecedented levels in
Puerto Rico is directly related to the Island’s position at the center of America’s under-protected
Caribbean Border in the nation’s drug war. The federal government should deploy a Caribbean
Border Initiative, similar to the effort along the U.S. southern border, to ensure the nation’s
borders are fully protected.

A National Security Issue: Puerto Rico is serving as America’s Caribbean Border in the 
nation’s fight against drug trafficking.

• The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean serve as
the southernmost points of entry for people and goods coming into the United States,
effectively serving as America’s Caribbean Border.
...
Given the disproportionate levels of violent crime being experienced in Puerto Rico
compared to other states bordering the U.S.-Mexico border, it is clear that the federal law
enforcement agencies in Puerto Rico must be further strengthened."

"Given the current controversy surrounding the extent of the U.S. drone program and targeted killings, it is important to revisit that in the summer of 2012, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency announced that unmanned drones would begin patrolling Caribbean airspace as an expansion of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). This is only one aspect of how the War on Drugs in the Caribbean is increasingly looking like the War on Terror.

The U.S.–Caribbean border is the often ignored “Third Border,” which the Department of Homeland Security has referred to as an “open door for drug traffickers and terrorists.” A recent study by the National Defence University has stated that “the region's nexus to the United States uniquely positions it in the proximate U.S. geopolitical and strategic sphere. Thus, there is an incentive, if not an urgency, for the United States to proactively pursue security capacity-building measures in the Caribbean region.”"

Latin America and the Caribbean: Illicit Drug Trafficking and U.S. Counterdrug Programs 

Latin America and the Caribbean: Illicit Drug Trafficking and U.S. ...

fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/142364.pdf

by LS Wyler - 2010
Apr 30, 2010 – Drug trafficking is viewed as a primary threat to citizen security and U.S. interests in Latin. America and the Caribbean despite decades of ...

"Drug trafficking is viewed as a primary threat to citizen security and U.S. interests in Latin
America and the Caribbean despite decades of anti-drug efforts by the United States and partner
governments. The production and trafficking of popular illicit drugs—cocaine, marijuana,
opiates, and methamphetamine—generates a multi-billion dollar black market in which Latin
American criminal and terrorist organizations thrive. These groups challenge state authority in
source and transit countries where governments are often fragile and easily corrupted. Mexican
drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) largely control the U.S. illicit drug market and have been
identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as the “greatest organized crime threat to the United
States.” Drug trafficking-related crime and violence in the region has escalated in recent years,
raising the drug issue to the forefront of U.S. foreign policy concerns.
...

The Caribbean-South Florida route continues to be active, and although currently less utilized
than the Central America-Mexico route, some observers have warned that activity along this route
may surge once more in the near future. As U.S. counternarcotics cooperation with Venezuela has
diminished since 2005, Venezuela has become a major transit point for drug flights through the
Caribbean—particularly Haiti and the Dominican Republic—into the United States as well as to
Europe. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, the Bahamas continues to serve as a major transit country
for both Jamaican marijuana and South American cocaine.
...

Latin America’s central role in the illicit drug market stems largely from the Andean region’s
unique position as the world’s only source region for coca and cocaine. Another major factor
contributing to the region’s prominence in today’s drug trade is its proximity to the United States,
a major drug consumption market. Underlying factors that have allowed drug trafficking to
flourish include poverty and a lack of viable alternative livelihoods for farmers; corruption;
weaknesses in law enforcement and justice-sector capacity to deter drug traffickers; the presence
of insurgent groups involved in drug production and trafficking in some countries; and the
geographical impediments to interdiction, including difficult-to-monitor political borders and
maritime terrain. Uneven political support for counterdrug efforts may also fuel drug trafficking.
...

Latin American drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) control various aspects of the drug supply
chain and vary in terms of capabilities, organizational structure, and level of associated violence.
Some of the more sophisticated groups possess extensive paramilitary and counterintelligence
capabilities that allow them to rival state security forces and operate with relative impunity
through deep networks of corrupt officials in key offices.
...

The Latin America and the Caribbean region has among the highest crime rates, including violent
crime rates, of any region in the world. In February 2010, the UNODC released an updated
analysis of global homicide rates, which found that in sharp contrast to a global trend of
decreasing or stabilizing homicide rates, homicides in Latin America and the Caribbean had, on
average, increased from 19.9 per 100,000 people in 2003 to 32.6 per 100,000 people in 2008 (see
Figure 2).25 In addition, the level of kidnappings, assaults, and other manifestations of organized
violence appear to have risen.
Recent studies have shown that, while other factors like income inequality are still contributing
factors, criminality, particularly related to drug trafficking, has replaced political and regional
conflicts as a major source of violence in many Latin America and Caribbean countries.26 Some
violence is directly associated with the protection of drug trafficking routes and syndicate power
struggles. Other violence occurs as DTOs corrupt and undermine local police and criminal justice
institutions as well as societal institutions, weakening respect for the rule of law. Criminality
directly associated with the illegal drug trade increases the prevalence of related crimes, including
kidnapping, murder, money laundering, and firearms trafficking. Involvement in the drug trade
also negatively affects licit economic development."


Puerto Rico statehood, as any proper marriage should, depends on the will of both parties, but, that's said, maybe even more so on the will of The United States Congress, as Mr. Pierluisi astutely mentioned in his UN address. 

" We likewise recognize that the U.S. Congress could unilaterally rescind the powers it has delegated to Puerto Rico if it saw fit to do so. 
...
As a legal matter, the U.S. Constitution vests Congress with broad authority over its territories.  For Puerto Rico to evolve and to become a state or sovereign nation, it is not enough to just seek such a change; U.S. Congress and the President must act to enable that change."

And this respectable body and its corresponding constituents might need some "convincing framework" to form. And the above mentioned issues will not be the last ones on the future Convincing List by far. 

It is worth mentioning that 1983 Rand Study "Geopolitics, Security, and U.S. Strategy in the Caribbean Basin" by D. Ronfeldt noted in its summary that "consensus on the nature and importance of U.S. security interests in the Caribbean Basin is sorely lacking". This study proposed a conceptual framework based on Monroe Doctine and formulated the principles which remain in effect, and even more urgently so, thirty years later: 



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Links Review:


Es al proyecto de ley que establece las asignaciones del Departamento de Se...


Fueron convocados los dirigentes de las colectividades políticas

Political Status of Puerto Rico: geopolitical aspects - Google Search

russia's and china's interests in puerto rico and the caribbean - Google Search

russia china puerto rico caribbean - Google Search

geopolitics of puerto rico - Google Search

puerto rico narcotraffic - Google Search

caribbean drug trade - Google Search

Political Status of Puerto Rico Strategic Aspects - Google Search

political status of puerto rico geostrategic aspects - Google Search

puerto rico statehood - Google Search

geopolitical interests of The United States and Puerto Rico - Google Search

 - Puerto Rican Jam: Rethinking Colonialism and Nationalism: geopolitical interests of The United States and      Puerto Rico - GS - book search and quotes

geostrategic interests of The United States and Puerto Rico - Google Search

nicaragua canal - Google Search

trade routes nicaragua canal china - Google Search

 joint nature of foreign policy of USA and Puerto Rico - Google Search

russia and the caribbean - Google Search

Russia Seeks to Restore Influence in Latin America
The Moscow Times-May 29, 2013

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china and the caribbean - Google Search

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Caribbean Basin Security Initiative - Google Search


» House Appropriations Committee Directs White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to Prepare and Publish Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy
18/07/13 09:40 from Res. Comm. Pedro Pierluisi - Representing the At Large District of PUERTO RICO
Washington, DC—Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, together with Congressman José Serrano (D-NY), has achieved the inclusion of language in the Fiscal Year 2014 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act that woul...


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Puerto Rico’s Political Status and the 2012 Plebiscite: Background and Key Questions 
R. Sam Garrett
Specialist in American National Government
October 2, 2012

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  1. Puerto Rico. A possible remodeling of Western ... - geopolitics

    english.geopolitics.ro/puerto-rico-a-possible-remodeling-of-western-hem...

    Puerto Rico (the Associated Free State of Puerto Rico or the Commonwealth of .... of inhabitants and the aspects that have to do with the political opinions of a ...


    However, an inevitable conflict in the Middle East, whether we are talking about actors such as Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia or Turkey, seems to have, at least on the medium if not the long term, an extremely important “rival” on Washington’s agenda for the control not just of the Atlantic and of the Panama Canal but also for a potential control of China’s merchant navy that will in the future look for new routes, and for enhancing the balance of power in what concerns Russian interests in the area and the relatively uncontrolled development of the military arsenal in South America.
    It is true that such an option is one of the United States of America’s priorities, given the fact that she needs to secure both the South Atlantic and the Caribbean in case of a possible “Pacific war,” whether military or commercial in nature.
    Thus, while many analysts are carefully watching the ceaseless growth of the global crisis, an artificial crisis of American origin, a small group of persons in the United States and the European Union on one hand, and in Russia, China and Latin America on the other, are carefully analyzing a possible union at federative level between the United States and Puerto Rico.
    ...
    It has to be said that the currency is minted at the orders of the American federal government, just like defense and foreign affairs remain the exclusive prerogative of the White House, Puerto Rico doing nothing but rallying behind the position taken by the American federal government.
    After winning independence from the Spanish Crown on December 10, 1898, Puerto Rico became a Free Associated State in 1952. On the basis of the “insular cases,” the US Supreme Court decided that Puerto Rico belongs to but is not a part of the US.
    ...
    The plebiscite


    Despite an apparent political calm due to the island’s statute, in recent years the inhabitants have started to fall within two categories: those that want their country to become the 51st American state and those that want the island to become sovereign and, consequently, independent. Debates and plebiscites on the island’s political status have taken place until now. It has to be pointed out that the first to take place showed in 1967 that a little over 60 per cent voted for the Free Associated State status, 39 per cent voted for statehood (in the form of a state that is part of a federation), while only 0.6 per cent voted for independence.

    In 2011 the Governor decided to organize a two-stage plebiscite in order to try to settle the island’s statute. Thus, the first stage of the plebiscite on the island’s political statute took place on August 12, 2012, people being asked to choose between keeping the same statute in relation to the federal government in Washington and a different neocolonial variant. The second stage of the plebiscite in which the citizens had to choose between three non-colonial options – statehood, independence and free association – took place on November 6, the day of the American elections.

    plebiscite




    From a total of 2,402,941 registered voters a number of 2,351,158 were validated. It has to be pointed out that of the total number of votes cast, 0.98 per cent were invalidated and 26.04 per cent were blank votes. Thus, 4.04 per cent voted for the country’s independence, 24.32 per cent voted for the form of a Free Associated State and 44.61 per cent voted that Puerto Rico should become a full member of the federation as the 51st American state. In real terms this means that of the total population of Puerto Rico (with and without the right to vote) less than 25 per cent decided the destiny of the whole nation. Also worthy of mention is the fact that over 4.6 million Puerto Ricans are living in the United States (more than those living on the island), enjoying all the rights conferred by American citizenship.


    Political and social unrest


    Not long after the official results were revealed virulent reactions started to appear from society, politicians and foreign powers, Latin American powers in particular.

    Latin American states that have an economic and foreign policy relatively different than that of the United States criticized the plebiscite in Puerto Rico and even suspected its results. The same suspicion concerning the results came from some American analysts that consider that in 2013 the US Congress will disregard the results of the November 2012 plebiscite.

    Moreover, some voices rather support a statute similar to that of Andorra which, despite the duumvirate seen at head of state level (according to the constitution Andorra has two heads of state – the French King, currently the French President, and the Catalan Bishop of Seo de Urgel), is a sovereign and independent nation.

    On the continent, two American Congressmen (of Puerto Rican descent), Luis Gutierrez (Democrat Party representative for Illinois) and Nydia Velasquez (Democrat Party representative for New York) have publicly stated that the plebiscite was “a non-transparent process” and saluted the article that appeared in ‘The Hill’ and which claims that the Congress will disregard it. At the same time, there are two contradictory things from the point of view of constitutional law. First of all, Article 4 of the US Constitution states that the US Congress decides which territories will be incorporated into the Union. Secondly, President Obama’s statement is in relative opposition to the Constitution whose guarantor he is: “Puerto Rico’s statute should be decided by the residents of Puerto Rico.”

    If until a week ago the press was talking about the fact that Puerto Ricans were voting for independence, after the plebiscite most of the publications were talking about the fact that “Puerto Rico wants dependence.”

    ...

    The infrastructure

    Puerto Rico has one of the most modern infrastructures in Latin America and the Caribbean, being surpassed (as national-level average) solely by Canada and the United States of America. It has 8 main cities, including the capital (San Juan, Bayamon, Caguas, Guaynabo, Carolina, Ponce, Cayey and Mayaguez) which is considered the “metropolis of the Caribbean” because of its modern buildings and which is 71st in the world when it comes to quality of life.

    Nevertheless, the country is confronted with the lack of a general planning project, a fact that affects the environment because it does not offer protection to the island’s natural resources. According to a survey, if development were to continue at the same unplanned rhythm in the next 700 years Puerto Rico would be at risk of becoming an island city.

    The city’s railway infrastructure is very modern and will be expanded at national level in order to connect all of the country’s main points, and will include a line to the international airport. The only nuclear power plant in the Caribbean is located in the Rincon municipality.

    When it comes to the maritime infrastructure, the port of San Juan is the fourth-busiest maritime port in the Western Hemisphere, the tenth-busiest in the United States and is 17th in the world when it comes to the handling of containers. Likewise, it is considered the world’s largest port for private and pleasure crafts, and is second in the world after Miami when it comes to the number of cruise ships it can accommodate. Apart from the main port the island has eight other smaller ports with the Port of the Americas set to be renovated and enlarged.

    The Luis Munoz international airport is the island’s largest airport, located 12.7 kilometers from its historic centre, near the Carolina municipality, being one of the busiest airports in the Caribbean and a vital air transportation junction for air traffic between the United States of America and the rest of the Caribbean islands.

    Fernando Ribas Dominicci is the second largest airport, being mainly used for private, charter or internal commercial flights. It was the largest airport on the island before the Luis Munoz airport was inaugurated.

    Infrastructure played an essential role in the island’s economic development for two reasons: commercial (given the geostrategic and geo-economic position) and tourism-related.

    ...

    Other aspects

    Given this geopolitical and geostrategic context, one should not forget the major geo-economic interest that Russia and China can manifest given the fact that their interests in the Western Hemisphere continue to develop in parallel with those of the United States. Starting off from this, we have to point out that Puerto Rico has Russian and Chinese communities.

    The Russians are called Russian-Ricans and they consist of a small community of approximately 50 families that are actively promoting Slavic culture on the island, organizing on a yearly basis festivals and events meant to draw attention to Russia. This might seem insignificant, however taking into account the small number of inhabitants and the aspects that have to do with the political opinions of a certain category of Puerto Ricans in regard to the US policy, it should not be neglected.

    The Chinese minority in Puerto Rico has a history that can be dated back to the start of the 19th Century. The community is currently growing and is mainly active in the gastronomical and cultural domain. Because the island is under United States jurisdiction arrests of Chinese immigrants took place lately.

    An analysis of Russia’s and China’s interests in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean will follow in another article.

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    Political status of Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_status_of_Puerto_RicoShare
    Politically, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States which ... the people of Puerto Rico are often considered to be a Caribbean nation with ...



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    1. Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_immigration_to_Puerto_Rico

      Large-scale Chinese immigration to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean began during the 19th century. Chinese immigrants had to face different obstacles that ...

    Chinese influence in Puerto Rico[edit]


    Chinese Puerto Ricans are involved in operating Chinese restaurants, and others work in other sectors. Many members of Puerto Rico's Chinese minority have integrated both Puerto Rican and Chinese cultures into their daily lives. Some Chinese have intermarried with Puerto Ricans and many of today's Chinese-Puerto Ricans have Hispanic surnames and are of mixed Chinese and Puerto Rican descent, e.g., Wu-Trujillo.[7]

    Various businesses are named Los Chinos (The Chinese) and a valley in Maunabo, Puerto Rico is called Quebrada Los Chinos (The Chinese Stream).[8] The Padmasambhava Buddhist Center, whose followers practice Tibetan Buddhism, has a branch in Puerto Rico.[9]

    Los Chinos de Ponce (English: "The Chinese from Ponce"), formally "King's [Ice] Cream", is an ice cream store whose owners are descendants of Chinese immigrants who arrived in Puerto Rico via Cuba in the early 1960s. The ice cream parlor, which is in front of the town squarePlaza Las Delicias, opposite the historic Parque de Bombas, opened in 1964.[10]

    Illegal immigration of Chinese nationals has become a problem in Puerto Rico. On November 28, 2007, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that 15 citizens of the People's Republic of China were arrested and indicted for human smuggling. According to the indictment, the defendants participated in an alien smuggling organization operating out of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The organization was transporting, moving, concealing, harboring and shielding aliens. They arranged the transportation and moving of Chinese nationals from the Dominican Republic into the United States.[11]

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    1. Caribbean targets 2 new markets: South America, Russia

      newsismybusiness.com/caribbean-targets-2-new-markets-south-america-r...

      May 3, 2012 – Caribbean islands are aggressively courting new tourism markets headed by South ... “We are working very hard to strengthen Puerto Rico's presence in these ... outbound market, followed by the United States and China.
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      1. China & The Caribbean: Multi-Billion Dollar Talks | Latin Culture Today


        latinculturetoday.blogspot.com/.../china-caribbean-multi-billion-dollar.ht...


        Jun 3, 2013 – The region might soon be considered a gateway to the far east, as predicted in the Caribbean political satire "United States of Banana" by Puerto Ricanauthor Giannina Braschi, who posits China as the biggest game changer in the ...... TheRussian poet Yevgeni Yevtushenko wrote the poem "When they murdered Lorca" ("Когда убили Лорку") in which he portrays Lorca as being akin to Don Quixote—an immortal symbol of one's devotion to his ideals and perpetual ...
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        1. PUERTO RICO NEWS: China ramps up presence in Caribbean By ...


          prnewslinks.blogspot.com/2013/.../president-xi-jinpings-state-visits-to.ht...

          by Mike Nova
          Jun 5, 2013 – Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbeanand The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina ...








          1. PUERTO RICO NEWS: China commits US$3B to Caribbean | U.S. ...


            prnewslinks.blogspot.com/.../china-commits-us3b-to-caribbean-us.html


            by Mike Nova
            Jun 4, 2013 – Comprehensive collection of newslinks to Puerto Rico, The Caribbeanand The Latino Culture - Amplia colección de newslinks a Puerto Rico, el Caribe y la Cultura Latina ... LONDON, England -- An all-party group of British members of parliament, established to further the interests of the Cayman Islands, should be closed down, a senior member of the House of Lords, Lord Oakeshott, said on Monday. The House of Commons standards committee is looking into.

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            www.miaminewtimes.com/2013-03.../puerto-rico-drugs-murders-miami/




            Mar 21, 2013 – Julio Ramos Oliver died over a spilled drink. It was just after midnight January 20, and Old San Juan shook with the fiesta de San Sebastián. Under the golden glow of street lamps, more than 100000 Puerto Ricans.



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            1. Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




              en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drugs_in_Puerto_Rico




              Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico are an increasingly significant problem from a criminal, social, and medical perspective, and a large amount of crime in Puerto Rico ...



              Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico
              From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

              Puerto Rico

              Crime rates (2008)
              Crime type Rate*
              Homicide: 20.4
              Forcible rape: 2.4
              Robbery: 138.3
              Aggravated assault: 78.8
              Violent crime: 239.9
              Burglary: 484
              Larceny-theft: 837.4
              Motor vehicle theft: 177.1
              Property crime: 1,498.5
              Notes
              * Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
              *Compare with other cities
              Source: FBI 2008 UCR data

              Illegal drugs in Puerto Rico are an increasingly significant problem from a criminal, social, and medical perspective, and a large amount of crime in Puerto Rico has been linked to the amount of illegal drugs that flow through the country. Located in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico has become a major transshipment point for drugs into the United States.[1] Violent and property crimes have increased due in part to dealers trying to keep their drug business afloat, using guns and violence to protect themselves, their turfs, and drug habits.[2]

              Crimes related to drugs are not the only crimes that has plagued the island. Police and political corruption have also been problematic, as have gangs, which further contribute to the drug problem and associated crime in Puerto Rico.[3]


              Crime reduction[edit]


              The Puerto Rican government has implemented a series of law enforcement operations in relation to the federal "war on drugs" in order to minimize drug-related crimes and trafficking on the island. In 1985, the government started Operation Greenback, an investigation by the FBI, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), into the inconsistencies between the drastic increase of cash flow into the Puerto Rican economy and the double digit unemployment rate and bad economy in the 70s and early 1980s. The operation uncovered money laundering schemes from within financial institutions and from the sale of illegal lottery ticket sales. Federal agents raided 10 banks and arrested 17 people on money laundering charges.[2]


              In 1990, Operation Lucky Strike, was put in motion by the FBI and local law enforcement officials, when residents of Vega Baja unearthed $20 million dollars on a nearby farm. They tried to stop the circulation of the illegal money and mobilized to arrest the individuals connected to the money.[2] In 1993, the Puerto Rican government used the National Guard to help local police in controlling street crime, and later used them again to occupy about a dozen public housing projects in and around San Juan, that police deemed as "hot spots" for drug-related crimes. The operation produced the seizure of 1,200 bags of cocaine, 216 bags of marijuana, 369 capsules of crack, 1,142 bags of heroin, 3 kilos of rock cocaine, and 1 kilo of heroin.[citation needed]


              -





              1. Illegal drug trade in Latin America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




                en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_drug_trade_in_Latin_America



                As a result of the concentration of drug trafficking, Latin America and the Caribbeanhas the world's highest crime rates, with murder reaching 32.6 per 100,000 ...







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                  Mar 16, 2013 – The State Department described Guyana as a transit country forcocaine destined for the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, and ...






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                    Apr 3, 2013 – SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A top U.S. State Department official says theCaribbean will likely see a surge in drug trafficking activity by 2015 as ...






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                    A National Security Issue: Puerto Rico is serving as America's Caribbean Border in the nation's fight against drug trafficking. • The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico ...






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                      Feb 8, 2013 – The Drug Trade and the Increasing Militarization of the Caribbean. warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in ...






                      1. US Observes Uptick in Drug Trafficking Through Caribbean - InSight ...


                        www.insightcrime.org/news.../united-states-drug-trafficking-caribbean


                        Sep 10, 2012 – Aerial surveys by the US military's South Command show that drugtraffickers are shifting back to Caribbean sea routes in response to pressure ...

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                        VP Biden signs trade pact with Caribbean Community

                        San Antonio Express-May 28, 2013Share
                        Biden said Washington and the Caribbean region should be prepared to counter upticks in drug trafficking if smuggling routes swing back ...

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                        US, China Woo Caribbean “Friends” Just Days Apart

                        Inter Press Service-May 30, 2013Share
                        “The Caribbean has never downplayed the importance of the United States to ... those involved in the illegal drug trade to target the Caribbean.
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                        1. drug trafficking threatens rule of law in Central America, Caribbean

                          www.jurist.org/.../un-report-drug-trafficking-threatens-rule-of-law-in-ce...

                          by Rebecca DiLeonardo
                          Sep 28, 2012 – [JURIST] Drug trafficking and violent crime in Central America and theCaribbean threaten the rule of law in those regions, according to a report [text, PDF; press release] released Thursday by the UN Office of Drugs and ...

                          1. MDA.gov | Blog | U.S. Supports Caribbean Basin Security Initiative

                            www.mda.gov/2013/05/.../u-s-supports-caribbean-basin-security-initiativ...

                            by NMIO
                            May 29, 2013 – Working together in support of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), the United States and the nations of the Caribbean are combating the drug trade and other transnational crimes that threaten regional security.

                            1. Caribbean News Now!: Commentary: Russia and Nicaragua ...

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                              Apr 25, 2013 – On March 19, 2013, the Director of Federal Drug Control Service (FDCS) of the Russian Federation, Viktor Ivanov, arrived in Nicaragua to encourage the development of deeper cooperation in curbing drug trafficking. During ...

                              1. Fact Sheet: United States Support for the Caribbean Basin Security ...

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                                by The White House
                                May 28, 2013 – Working together in support of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), the United States and the nations of the Caribbean are combating the drug trade and other transnational crimes that threaten regional security.

                                -
                                » The Dominican Republic and Drug Smuggling via the Caribbean - Mexidata.info
                                17/06/13 02:39 from caribbean drug trade - Google News
                                The Dominican Republic and Drug Smuggling via the Caribbean Mexidata.info To break the cycle of narcotics trafficking and the accompanying violence by organized criminals and gangs, as they increasingly (and once again) make end runs via t..


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                                NATION, MIGRATION, IDENTITY: THE CASE OF PUERTO RICANS


                                blogs.uprm.edu/film/files/2012/11/Nation-Migration-Identity.pdf

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                                  1. Politics of Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Puerto_RicoShare
                                    Jump to Implications of the current political status‎: Puerto Rico is an organized unincorporated U.S. territory ... that a state of the Union has, given that Puerto Rico is a possession ... Exemption from some aspects of the Internal Revenue ...
                                  2. United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act - Wikipedia, the free ...

                                    en.wikipedia.org/.../United_States-Puerto_Rico_Political_Statu...
                                    The United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act (1998) was a bill proposed in the United States Congress to help refine the political status of Puerto Rico.
                                  3. Government of Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                                    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Puerto_Rico
                                    L. 82–447 due to Puerto Rico's political status as a commonwealth of the United States. Ultimately, the powers of the government of Puerto Rico are all ...
                                -

                                Political Status of Puerto Rico: Geopolitical Aspects - News and Blogs Review 

                                Updated on 7.18.13

                                -


Puerto Rico’s Police Force Considers Reforms - Puerto Rico Report - Posted on January 4, 2013

Puerto Rico’s Police Force Considers Reforms

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Puerto Rico’s police force is the second largest in U.S. states and territories, second in size only to that of New York City. The Puerto Rican police force includes more than 17,000 officers.
Puerto Rico has a high level of violent crime, largely as a result of its position as a largely undefended border used in the drug trade with the United States.
Unfortunately, Puerto Rico also has a history of problems within its police force. The U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report in September that  identified a pattern of civil rights violations, and followed up last week with a lawsuit.
Former Governor Fortuno did not contest the lawsuit and instead created an agreement with the Justice Department that gives new Governor Padilla time to review the recommendations and make any changes his government requires.
The agreement calls for extensive reforms, as well as improved training for law enforcement officers in Puerto Rico.

Violence in Puerto Rico – Could Statehood Help?

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Violence in Puerto Rico continues to rise, in contrast to falling levels of violent crime on the mainland. Does the status of Puerto Rico affect the problem?
Puerto Rico currently has a homicide rate 500% higher than that of the mainland United States. Last year, it was estimated that 70% of Puerto Rico’s violent crime was drug-related. Puerto Rico is appealing to drug cartels because the island offers easy access to U.S. drug consumers.
It makes sense, then, to compare the federal commitment to protecting Puerto Rico from drug-related violence, compared with the commitment in border states like Texas, New Mexico, and California.
According to the 2011 National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, there were a number of strong actions taken on the Southwestern border of the United States:
  • Congress appropriated $1.4 billion to Mexicofor an anti-drug partnership.
  • Congress dedicated $600 million to enhance border protection.
  • The U.S. Customs and Border Protection more than doubled its agents since 2004.
  • The Drug Enforcement Administration has allocated nearly 30% of its domestic agents to the Southwest border.
  • The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency increased its agents on the border by almost 300 since 2010.
  • President Obama authorized the deployment of over 1,000 National Guard troops to the Southwest border
  • The Department of Homeland Security operates a Predator Unmanned Aircraft System along the entire Southwest border.
  • A leadership group composed of over 20 federal agencies holds strategic meetings about this issue several times a year.
By contrast, this is the federal commitment to Puerto Rico:
  • While there is also a  National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, there is no comparable strategy or strategy document covering Puerto Rico.
  • Puerto Rico receives less than $50 million a year in direct federal funding for drug abuse prevention, investigations, prosecution, and interdiction.
  • In spite of requests for additional assistance, the number of government agents has stayed about the same in Puerto Rico.
  • The Coast Guard has only four helicopters in all of Puerto Rico – fewer than in the city of Miami.
  • There are extraordinarily high vacancy rate in federal agencies in Puerto Rico – 39% at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), 12% at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and 15% at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The people of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens, just as the people of Florida and Texas are. What’s the difference between Puerto Rico and the states which have so much more U.S. protection?
  • The four states (CA, AZ, NM and TX) which touch the border with Mexico send eight Senators and almost 100 House Members to Washington to represent them.
  • The ten states directly touching Canada (WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, MI, NU, VT, NH and ME) send 20 Senators and approximately 90 House Members to represent them.
  • Puerto Rico has one non-voting Resident Commissioner.
Were Puerto Rico to become independent, the United States might be expected to make passage from Puerto Rico to the mainland more difficult, which would help protect the states from violence but do nothing to help Puerto Rico. Were Puerto Rico to become the 51st state of the Union, new voting representation in Washington would advocate for more protections. As it stands, the federal government can provide exactly the level of protection that it chooses to provide with no accountability to Puerto Rico.
National publications has weighed in to this debate for months.  “To the 3.7 million Americans living in Puerto Rico, Washington’s inaction on the violent Puerto Rican drug trade signals that federal protections afforded to US citizens do not fully convey outside the 50 states.  The federal government must step up to the plate and ensure that all of its borders are secure and all of its citizens are safe…. As the magnitude of the crisis grows, so does the necessity for Washington’s help.” (Christian Science Monitor; February 16, 2012)

DHS to expand ‘Operation Caribbean Resilience’ in Puerto Rico - Fri, 2013-07-12 05:39 PM

DHS to expand ‘Operation Caribbean Resilience’ in Puerto Rico

As part of its continued commitment to public safety in Puerto Rico, DHS will expand Operation Caribbean Resilience. 
The operation, which focuses on interrupting and dismantling criminal organizations, as well as identifying and arresting individuals involved in criminal activity in Puerto Rico, will be expanded through September 2013 and will receive additional agents and resources. 
Last July, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico to underscore the department’s commitment to collaborating with local law enforcement in the region. DHS is also working with stakeholders in Puerto Rico to maintain a coordinated approach to support the execution of the Operation, said a DHS news release issued on July 11. 
The Operation includes intelligence collection, interdiction, and other law enforcement activities directed at disrupting the flow of illegal weapons, drugs, money, and migrants into and out of Puerto Rico, with a focus on transnational criminal organizations and targeting violent gang members for federal prosecution. 
Operation Caribbean Resilience is a joint initiative led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with support from CBP and the Coast Guard, including the Puerto Rico Police Department and the Municipal Police Departments of San Juan, Ponce, and Toa Alta. 
DHS is augmenting the local enforcement efforts with 30 additional HSI special agents and resources, says the release. Their efforts will focus on high intensity crime areas with a nexus to transnational criminal operations. 
Since its inception in January 2012, Operation Caribbean Resilience has led to 560 federal and state arrests; and the seizure of 470 illegal weapons, more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition, more than $388,000 in cash, and various quantities of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and crack cocaine.  
Operation Caribbean Resilience began in the municipality of Loiza, Puerto Rico, a town considered by law enforcement to be an area of high-intensity criminal activity. Under Operation Caribbean Resilience, Loiza experienced a 50 percent decrease in homicides between January and May of 2012, as compared to the same period during 2011; as well as a 78 percent decrease in robbery and a 52 percent decrease in assault. The initiative was later expanded to the Caguas and San Juan areas where it experienced similar results. 
DHS continues to coordinate its efforts with interagency partners in Puerto Rico, including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice to address violent crime on the island.

A Department of Justice Report on the Puerto Rico Police Department Reveals an 'Agency in Profound Disrepair' - Published Oct. 29, 2012.

A Department of Justice Report on the Puerto Rico Police Department Reveals an 'Agency in Profound Disrepair'

Joel Féliz de Jesus shows the scars on his abdomen following emergency surgery from blunt trauma to his internal organs allegedly inflicted by a group of Puerto Rican police. Photo by Brandon Quester
Joel Féliz de Jesus shows the scars on his abdomen following emergency surgery from blunt trauma to his internal organs allegedly inflicted by a group of Puerto Rican police. Photo by Brandon Quester
By AJ Vicens
Cronkite Borderlands Initiative
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Three women in Marcia de Jesus' house laugh and chatter as they prepare the day's food in a cramped kitchen.
The house sits on a narrow street of Barrio Obrero, a heavily Dominican working class neighborhood in the Santurce area of San Juan. De Jesus runs a neighborhood eatery out of the house.
Sunlight streams through slats in an old wooden fence, lighting a patio where the little restaurant's employees laugh and socialize with locals who enjoy home-cooked meals of rice, beans, chicken, pork and steak. They sometimes drop small scraps for a mangy looking but affectionate cat.
But the revelry evaporates when uniformed members of the Puerto Rico Police Department come in for food. De Jesus still serves the police, but she will never get over what they did to Joel, her 26-year-old son.
  Joel Féliz de Jesus poses for a portrait within his home in Barrio Obrero, a largely Dominican neighborhood in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Police allegedly beat Joel when they stopped him after leaving a party with friends. Joel said he remembers very little after the police started beating him, later regaining consciousness in the hospital after emergency surgery. Photo by Brandon Quester
SLIDESHOW: The U.S. Department of Justice investigated the Puerto Rico Police Department for alleged brutality against civilians in Puerto Rico, particularly Dominicans.
"It's very difficult" when the police come in, she said. "[N]ot all police are the same. But it is very difficult for me."
In May 2009, Joel Feliz de Jesus had been drinking at a party and was walking on the street when he got into an argument with a few police officers. He remembers asking them why they were looking at him and telling them to leave him alone. He recalls a cop he swears was seven feet tall approaching him and telling him to put his hands behind his back. His next memory is waking up in a hospital with a fresh scar running the length of his torso, the result of surgery to repair severe internal injuries his family claims were inflicted by the police that night.
Claims like those made by the de Jesus family aren't uncommon in Puerto Rico. The 17,000-member Puerto Rico Police Department – the second largest police force in the United States and its territories – has been under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice since July 2008.
In a report released in September 2011, the Department of Justice said its investigation uncovered a litany of major problems.
"The amount of crime and corruption involving PRPD officers … illustrates that PRPD is an agency in profound disrepair," government lawyers wrote.
The most prevalent and troubling problems include allegations of excessive use of force by police and a sustained disregard for the constitutional rights of many of the island's 3.7 million residents. The Department of Justice noted that more than 1,700 police officers in Puerto Rico -- roughly 10 percent of the force -- were arrested between January 2005 and November 2010. That's nearly triple the number of officers arrested in the New York Police Department, a force more than double the size of the Puerto Rico's police department, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.
These problems come at a time when crime is soaring in Puerto Rico. The island saw a record 1,136 murders in 2011, much of it attributed to a burgeoning drug trade. Violent crime of all types is up sharply over the last few years.
Top police officials and Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno's legal advisors said the police department has room for improvement but the major cases highlighted by media reports and the Department of Justice are isolated and not representative of the entire police force. Government officials claim they've updated police training curricula, upgraded technology, increased police officer pay and created citizen interaction committees.
Multiple follow-up emails and phone calls to the police department and the governor's office asking for specific data to back up these claims have gone unanswered.
Street-level police officers have a more nuanced view of the report. Many agree with some of the overall points -- political alliances driving promotions, poor leadership -- but say the dramatic allegations of abuse, corruption and discrimination are wildly exaggerated.
The Justice Department says the police department's failings impact a wide range of Puerto Rican communities.
But alleged brutality in Dominican communities like Barrio Obrero was one of the investigation's initial focuses, according to Luis Saucedo, the acting deputy chief of the special litigation section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and one of the lawyers who is working the case.
Dominicans are by far the largest minority group in Puerto Rico. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are roughly 68,000 Dominicans living in Puerto Rico but the real number is at least double, maybe triple that amount, according to Dominican activists, lawyers and even Saucedo.
But Saucedo said the Justice Department can't come to any conclusions on the extent of police abuse in the Dominican community because of a shortcoming in record keeping.
"The problem … was that Puerto Rico does not keep sufficient data to be able to know whether they're enforcing the law in a way that's fair and equitable," Saucedo said.
When Justice Department lawyers asked the PRPD how it knows it's not profiling Dominicans, the department didn't "have the systems to be able to demonstrate that they're not."
A key issue is that the Puerto Rico Police Department incident reports allow officers to identify people as Indian, white, black, Asian, Hawaiian or as a native of Alaska, but not Dominican.
"The data just isn't being captured," Saucedo said. "Supervisors aren't being given the tools to be able to make sure that it isn't happening. What was clear was that the allegations were being made and that the complaints, many times, were not being investigated."
A lack of quantifiable data doesn't change the minds of people who say that PRDP abuse and harassment of Dominicans is widespread and well known.
William Ramirez, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union in San Juan, says abuse of Dominicans by the police department has gone on for years, and the problems are systemic, not isolated.
"There's an animosity toward the Dominican community on the part of many police officers," Ramirez said. "I'm sure it's not all, but it's enough of them that it's a problem."
Enrique "Kike" Cruz, a popular Puerto Rican conservative radio host who supports the Fortuno administration, has been studying problems with the police for the last seven years.
"It's unfortunate what's happened in the Dominican community but what happened to the Dominicans also happens to Puerto Ricans," he said. "It's the same ignorances, the same lack of respect. The ineptitude of the police does not discriminate."
Cruz added that the Department of Justice exaggerated some of the problems but there's no way to refute it.
"(The Puerto Rico Police Department) statistics are ridiculous, they're not good they're not reliable," he said. "The Puerto Rico police cannot defend themselves because they have such poor statistics."
Despite a lack of quantifiable data, the Justice Department highlighted several major incidents of misuse of force and brutality.
In 2009, police clashed with Dominicans in a squatter community called Villas del Sol, located in Toa Baja, a town located southwest of San Juan. A weeks-long police presence in the community resulted in a violent confrontation, where women and children were pepper sprayed, according to the Department of Justice.

In August 2006, a Dominican man named Ignacio Santos Rosario was at a bar in Rio Piedras. Also at the bar was PRPD officer Gregorio Matias Rosario. According to federal court records, Matias was talking badly about Dominicans and Santos asked him to show some respect. Matias then pointed his police-issued gun at Santos and called for backup. Santos tried to leave the area but Matias shot him twice in the leg. Santos alleged that additional PRPD officers arrived on the scene and began beating him as he lay on the ground. In 2009, Santos' civil rights case was dismissed after the parties entered into a confidential settlement.

Also in 2006, a Dominican man named Felix Escolastico Rodriguez was parking his car in Rio Piedras. According to court records, several officers approached him and began beating him. As they were attacking him, at least one of the officers unloaded a string of racial and ethnic slurs against Dominicans. In 2010 Escolastico settled out of court with the police officers.

High-profile incidents will always get a lot of attention but activists and the Justice Department say abuses and discriminatory policing happen on a regular basis.
"Evidence suggests that PRPD officers violate the rights of individuals of Dominican descent or appearance through targeted and unjustifiable police actions," Justice Department lawyers wrote.
The ACLU's Ramirez says Dominicans in Puerto Rico, the majority of them undocumented, can't fight back or go public with allegations of abuse in many cases.
"The first (worry) is deportation," Ramirez said. Documented Dominicans can also face police backlash, he added. "You become a target for police, you're a troublemaker. You'll be watched, and at the slightest thing that they might think constitutes a crime, you become a victim. You'll get set up."
The Department of Justice reported allegations of Puerto Rico Police Department officers planting drugs on people, as Ramirez suggested. Jose Rodriguez, the spokesman for the Dominican Committee on Human Rights, said that could have happened in Joel Feliz de Jesus's case.
Feliz de Jesus's beating allegedly took place in May 2009. Two months later, federal court records show that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service accused Feliz de Jesus of receiving 280 grams of heroin in the mail from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A judge signed an arrest warrant on Aug. 3, 2009, and Feliz de Jesus spent six days in jail. On Aug. 24, the United States Attorney's office dismissed the charge. Feliz de Jesus denies that the heroin was his and said he's not sure why charges against him were dropped.
Multiple calls and emails to the U.S. Attorney's office were not returned and the police did not respond to multiple records requests for any information related to Feliz de Jesus.
Feliz de Jesus's case is isolated, said Puerto Rico Police Sgt. Iran Sanchez. Sanchez is an 11-year veteran and one of a handful of sergeants responsible for running the Barrio Obrero precinct. Sanchez, who has also worked in police precincts in San Juan and nearby Bayamon, said most of his officers are good people and that discrimination against the Dominican community is isolated to a relative few officers.
"There may be some officers that will discriminate against people from other nationalities, but believe me, the majority of police officers here do not," Sanchez said. "(The Department of Justice) is trying to show that we're, to some extent, a racist police department when it is not."
Lorena Garcia Rios, a legal advisor in the Puerto Rico Police Department Superintendent's office, said discrimination against the Dominican community is not widespread.
"The media sometimes exaggerates it," she said. "As a whole, it's not, like, the current practice. It's minor, isolated incidents."
While Sgt. Sanchez dismissed claims from Dominican activists and community members alleging widespread discrimination, he said there are a host of problems with the police department.
He pointed out the police force's "merit" promotions system. Until December, officers could be promoted by a superior "on merit" rather than by examination. The system was rife with officers moving up the chain of command based on who they knew and their political affiliations, according to Sanchez.
"Not every time (officers are promoted) they are actually qualified and prepared to be in a supervisory position in police work," Sanchez said. "A lot of officers were going up in rank because of favors. As simple as that."
The Department of Justice noted this problem in its report. Between January 2008 and September 2010, 1,615 of the 1,707 of officers promoted to sergeant – 95 percent – were promoted without testing.
The non-testing, "merit system" was largely the result of Puerto Rico's unique system of an all-powerful governor. The governor appoints the superintendent, but also directly approves leadership positions several layers down into the bureaucracy. The idea that politics and alliances rather than good work enhances careers has real consequences on the street, according to the Department of Justice.
"(It) fosters a dysfunctional professional atmosphere and encourages subordinates to question the qualifications and competence of command officers," Department of Justice lawyers wrote. The system also makes it hard for lasting reform because of the massive turnover and reassignments with each new administration.
The consistency in the leadership of the police department has been further strained by constant turnover in the superintendent's office. Superintendent Emilio Diaz Colon resigned March 28, and Gov. Fortuno appointed Hector Pesquera to replace him. Pesquera, the former leader of the FBI office in Puerto Rico, is the 10th superintendent since 2000.
Alfonso Orona-Amilivia, a deputy adviser to the governor for legal affairs, said the police offered a sergeant's test in December 2011 to give worthy, qualified officers a fair chance to move up in rank, and roughly 534 out of 2,000 that took the test passed. Sanchez said the department brought the test back because of the Department of Justice investigation, which began three years earlier. Orona and Garcia deny that was the motivation.
Other officers complained about a culture that rewards political affiliations and alliances over good police work. Many current sergeants and higher-level supervisors benefited from this system, and are reluctant to change it, they said. And when officers who don't play the game speak up, they're punished with arbitrary transfers far away from their hometowns and denied promotions.
Luis D. Mercado Fraticelli, a retired first lieutenant with the Puerto Rico Police Department and current president of the Sindicato de Policias Puertorriquenos union in Ponce, explains why he believes the recent U.S. Department of Justice report is inaccurate in its portrayal of Puerto Rican police forces. Photo by Brandon Quester
Luis D. Mercado Fraticelli, a retired first lieutenant with the Puerto Rico Police Department and current president of the Sindicato de Policias Puertorriquenos union in Ponce, explains why he believes the recent U.S. Department of Justice report is inaccurate in its portrayal of Puerto Rican police forces. Photo by Brandon Quester
"We've always said the police in Puerto Rico is directed by inept people," said Luis D. Mercado Fraticelli, a 33-year veteran of the police force who retired as a first lieutenant in 2004. Mercado is the president of the Sindicato Policias Puertorriquenos -- the Union of Puerto Rican Police -- which represents roughly 1,300 officers and is one of five police unions in Puerto Rico.
Mercado said he and the union support the current government but are adamant that rampant politicization over many years has created an entrenched leadership group that is resistant to change or suggestions that threaten its power. The Sindicato has also called for higher pay for police officers, leading a demonstration in November 2011 in San Juan where more than 6,000 officers demanded raises promised to them over many years.
The Sindicato points to the plight of one of its regional directors as an example of the system. Sgt. Jose Cruz Martinez, a 20-year veteran of the police force, took simmering internal complaints of outdated equipment and unpaid overtime to the press two years ago. Three days later, Sgt. Cruz was transferred from his position in Ponce -- a city on the south coast of the island close to his home -- to a prison many miles away. Sgt. Cruz has faced seven additional transfers since then, according to the Sindicato.
Sgt. Jose E. Cruz Martinez, a 20-year veteran with the Puerto Rico Police Department, talks about his frustrations with unfair treatment of officers and promotions within Puerto Rico's law enforcement system. Martinez also is the regional director for the Sindicato de Policias Puertorriquenos, a police union that is headquartered in Ponce. Photo by Brandon Quester
Sgt. Jose E. Cruz Martinez, a 20-year veteran with the Puerto Rico Police Department, talks about his frustrations with unfair treatment of officers and promotions within Puerto Rico's law enforcement system. Martinez also is the regional director for the Sindicato de Policias Puertorriquenos, a police union that is headquartered in Ponce. Photo by Brandon Quester
The police department has not responded to several requests for records on Sgt. Cruz's transfer orders.
The resulting environment within the police department is behind many violations of civil rights, said Sgt. Jose Marin Martinez, the vice president of the Sindicato.
"Every time a police officer makes a mistake, it's because they don't have any way to deal with the pressure," he said. "It's not because police aren't trying, it's not because officers aren't given instruction. (Police) fail because they are under big pressure."
Miguel Pereira was the superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police Department in 2002. Now an opposition-party candidate for the Puerto Rico Senate, Pereira said street-level police officer morale is low and has been for years.
"The sense of frustration that policemen have about the value of their own work, and self-worth, is very low," he said. "They do not feel supported by the establishment … they feel like they are in this by themselves."
Couple that context with poor training and a political patronage system that rewards all the wrong things and problems are bound to occur, Pereira said.
"Angry and violent reactions (against the public) should be condemned, and I'm not suggesting we don't, but it needs to be understood," Pereira said. So when an officer is out on the street and someone happens to cross him, "the reaction is going to be instant and violent."
Orona, governor Fortuno's deputy advisor for legal affairs, said the governor is trying to correct the myriad problems facing the police department. He said police officers' pay has been brought up to scale but didn't respond to multiple requests to provide data to prove it. He also said that reform is a complex process because of the varied needs of places like urban San Juan compared to mountain regions or smaller towns.
"We have a mixture of needs within the police and I think that's the main challenge, Orona said. "Maybe other administrations didn't understand the importance of actually seeing the police as a whole. There have been some years within some administrations where there has been improvement but I think that the structural improvement that has been going on in this administration is the one that's going to have a lasting result and lasting improvement in the police department."
The Department of Justice and Puerto Rico are negotiating how reforms will actually take place. The federal government prefers a court-enforceable agreement to mandate reforms regardless of Puerto Rico's political leadership.
"[I]n the end … the only instrument that I think is going to carry us through the long haul is a court-enforceable agreement," said Saucedo, one of the Department of Justice's lawyers negotiating with Puerto Rico. "We want some assurance that [reforms] are going to be carried out." That process, known as a consent decree, would require an independent monitor agreed to by both the Department of Justice and Puerto Rico to watch the process and report to a judge.
The government of Puerto Rico doesn't think a court order is necessary.
"Cooperation is key, and a consent decree is usually when some of the jurisdictions have not been cooperating," Orona said.
Puerto Rico Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock called a consent decree totally unnecessary.
"If someone would do that it would only be for political reasons to show that they were doing something," McClintock said, "because we are reacting positively, much better than anybody ever has."
All involved -- from the Department of Justice to the government of Puerto Rico to the lawyers and activists -- agree that meaningful reform will take years. But for people like Feliz de Jesus and his family, the damage is already done. His mother said all she wants is justice, and for the police to respect the community.
But Yarmesha Rios de Jesus, Joel's 16-year-old sister, represents the future. She said the Puerto Rico Police Department seems to think they have more rights than Dominicans because they're Puerto Rican.
"They don't respect the people," she said. "They should be the example. They're not like what they look. They're supposed to protect the people."
Does she trust the police? "No. Not at all." Will she ever? "Never."
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Published Oct. 29, 2012.
The Cronkite School has been covering immigration and border issues since 2006 with the generous support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.