In a new report (released August 6), the Institute for Justice (IJ) gives Puerto Rico’s eminent domain laws a grade of “F.” IJ is a nonprofit, civil liberties law firm dedicated to ending eminent domain abuse:  when the government seizes private property not for traditional public uses, but for private development. The report examines Puerto Rico’s eminent domain practices—or “expropriation” as it is called on the island—and details the law’s serious shortcomings, which give municipalities vast authority to seize private property for virtually any reason they deem appropriate. It makes reform recommendations to the Legislative Assembly to ensure the island’s property owners and communities are safe from illegitimate land grabs, in the context of widespread stateside trends to curtail eminent domain abuse.

Expropriation in Puerto Rico: Policy Brief and Report Card

Expropiación en Puerto Rico: Informe de Políticas y Libreta de Calificaciones