By Steve Neavling
Homeland Security Investigations selected its first woman to serve as special agent in charge of the San Juan office to lead operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Rebecca González-Ramos has more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement and working at multiple field and headquarters positions.
“My priorities as the special agent in charge are to secure our borders from money laundering, drug smuggling and weapon smuggling activities, and to identify and judicially process all those who try to exploit our children,” González-Ramos said in a news release. “For that purpose, I will assign resources and further strengthen our relationships with our federal, state and local counterparts to deter drug trafficking organizations from using Puerto Rico as a trans-shipment point for narcotics. It is my mission to deter violent organizations from using our streets to commit senseless murders, putting at risk our community.”
The agency says González-Ramos is committed to diversity and reaching ICE’s goal of ensuring women represent 30 percent of its special agents by 2030.
“My role will be focused on the efficiency of the management structure — collaboration between agencies while maintaining our diverse and inclusive workforce,” said González-Ramos. “Through history we have seen how women have made a direct impact for a better future, and that is exactly what I want to do: to create a diverse and prepared force to make a difference in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I am very honored by this new assignment and hope that my appointment is just the beginning of breaking ground in fields traditionally dominated by men.”
Since October 2022, González-Ramos had served as acting special agent in charge of HSI’s San Juan office, where she also was the deputy special agent in charge beginning in June 2022.
González-Ramos spent most of her career investigating crimes against children. She served as the former group supervisor of the Child Exploitation Group in San Juan and was “the driving force” behind the creation of the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force in June 2011.
A San Juan native, González-Ramos received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of South Florida. In 2010, she completed a Juris Doctor from the Interamerican School of Law in Puerto Rico.
She lives in San Juan with her husband, a retired federal agent and current public employee for the government of Puerto Rico.
“As a native from Puerto Rico, I have a strong commitment with the progress of my island and a personal engagement with the initiatives that further develop our youth, part of my agenda is to solidify the ties to all communities so HSI has an active involvement with our citizens,” González-Ramos said.
