Puerto Rico's top officials are asking for federal help amid a 'crisis of violence'
Puerto Rico has already seen 19 homicides so far this year, continuing a so-called "sense of impunity and lawlessness" that Resident Commissioner Jennifer González-Colón wants to end.
In a Wednesday letter to Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker and Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen, González-Colón detailed a longstanding history of "drug-related murders" in the U.S territory. As the island's only non-voting House representative, she is asking for increased "technical assistance and law enforcement resources" to curb the problem, she said in the letter.
Puerto Rico's murder rate of "20.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants" is higher "than any U.S. state," González-Colón said. This year has already seen a "series of gun shootings" that "erupted in broad daylight" earlier this week, "highlighting the rising tide of violent crime in the territory," she wrote. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Roselló increased police presence after the shootings, CBS News says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
González-Colón went on to ask Whitaker and Nielsen for a breakdown of their departments' resources devoted to Puerto Rico. She also invited the department heads to Puerto Rico "to ensure the federal government is successful in securing our nation's Caribbean border." The letter comes just hours after the FBI's top official in Puerto Rico declared a "crisis of violence" in the territory, per CBS News.
Read all of González-Colón's letter below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Airplane food is reportedly getting much worse
Cockroaches and E. coli are among the recent problems encountered in the skies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 19, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red Sea
Speed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacks
speed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages released
Speed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'
Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
By The Week UK Published
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign port
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published