U.S. to Remove Puerto Rican Protesters

Federal authorities are finalizing a plan to remove, by force if necessary, dozens of Puerto Rican protesters at a U.S. Navy bombing range on the island of Vieques, government officials said Monday.

The removal operation could begin as early as next week, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The presence of the protesters stands in the way of fully implementing an agreement reached Jan. 31 by President Clinton and Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Rossello to permit the Navy to resume limited training exercises on Vieques in exchange for a popular referendum to decide whether to eventually close the range.

At the time the deal was announced, Rossello publicly pledged to “support federal efforts to assure that trespassing or other intrusions on the range cease entirely.” Since the Jan. 31 agreement, however, no action has been taken against the protesters, and the Navy has been unable to resume exercises.

The removal plan, which has not received the final go-ahead, would involve federal marshals as well as FBI agents. Marines would be aboard ships off the coast to provide perimeter security, the officials said. Puerto Rican police would support the operation by performing crowd control and other duties.

Kenneth Bacon, chief spokesman for Defense Secretary William Cohen, referred questions to the Justice Department.

“There is nothing we can say about if and when” the FBI plans to try to remove the protesters, FBI spokesman Bill Carter said.

Navy officials declined to comment.

It is unclear whether any of the protesters possess or have access to weapons, but some have vowed to resist any effort to force them off the federal property, which has been used as a bombing range for five decades.

Carlos Romero Barcelo, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting delegate to Congress, said in an interview Monday that he supported a move to clear the bombing range of protesters, although he was not aware of a specific plan. But he said he was aware of credible information that some protesters on Vieques may be armed.

“I hope that the protesters will fulfill their promises that . . . they have no intention whatsoever of creating a violent confrontation,” he said.

The prospect of a violent confrontation on Vieques is especially sensitive in light of the show of force used by federal agents last Saturday in removing 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez from the home of his Miami relatives.

Protesters numbering from a few dozen to several dozen have camped on various parts of Vieques since April 19, 1999, when errant bombs from a Marine Corps jet killed a civilian Puerto Rican guard. That incident caused the Navy to suspend training, and months of negotiations ensued between Puerto Rico, the Navy and the White House over when and under what conditions the Navy would resume bombing practice.

Protesters occupy several camps on the range. Their numbers can reach into the dozens depending on weather conditions. Last Wednesday they marked the first anniversary of the accidental killing of civilian security guard David Sanes Rodriguez. Mourners laid flowers on his grave and demanded the Navy’s eviction. Elsewhere in Puerto Rico, protesters held vigils and church services.

There has been little indication from interviews with protesters that they fear being arrested.

Jose Aponte, a university professor who said he joins the protesters on holidays, said last week, “I will believe in the arrests when the helicopter lands and the federal marshals come out.”