The Alternate Federal Recovery Coordinator (AFRC) at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Andrés García Martinó, was dismissed from his post on Friday, after Governor Jenniffer González met in Washington with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.

“The termination notice was delivered by his supervisor, who is based in New York,” a source with direct knowledge of the events told El Nuevo Día.

Governor González met with Secretary Noem on Friday, along with other agency heads, as part of her agenda in the nation’s capital related to the National Governors Association meeting. DHS is the umbrella agency that oversees FEMA and other government entities such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Regarding the meeting, González said Friday on social media that its purpose was to “continue advancing reconstruction work on the island and eliminate bureaucracy that delays essential projects,” adding that they discussed “the need to streamline processes and federal coordination to ensure that funds and projects reach Puerto Rico more quickly.”

Also present in the meeting was Gabriella Boffelli, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA).

Despite several interview requests, Boffelli only sent written statements to El Nuevo Día, in which she generally referenced some of the projects discussed and distanced the González administration from the considerations that led to García Martinó’s departure.

“At the meeting, several ongoing projects to modernize critical infrastructure were discussed, including power grid projects and aqueduct and sewer system projects funded by allocations made by President (Donald) Trump in 2020,” Boffelli said.

“Personnel decisions at DHS or FEMA are the responsibility of those agencies; neither the government of Puerto Rico nor the governor has any involvement in them. Our focus is accelerating reconstruction and working with whoever the administration designates, as we have always done. Puerto Rico has more than 29,000 approved reconstruction projects, with a total cost exceeding $22 billion. This includes more than 8,000 projects under construction and more than 5,000 projects already completed,” the PRFAA executive director added.

Governor González did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. La Fortaleza instead provided Boffelli’s statements. González has emphasized that the use of federal reconstruction funds, preventing their loss and securing the greatest number of projects possible, are cornerstones of her administration.

Eduardo Soria Rivera, Executive Director of the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3), which worked directly with García Martinó, was also unavailable for an interview.

Several requests for information to FEMA went unanswered. At the federal agency’s main offices in Puerto Rico early Monday, supervisors verbally notified employees of García Martinó’s departure. At 10:30 a.m., there was a virtual all-hands meeting with leadership in New York, as the island falls under Region 2, headquartered in that state, sources said. FEMA Region 2 is led by Christopher Hartnett.

Only Ángel Jiménez Colón, Commissioner of the Bureau for Emergency and Disaster Management, said through his press spokesperson that García Martinó’s departure did not directly affect them.

García Martinó went to FEMA’s local offices Monday to return equipment, and the atmosphere was one of solidarity and support among employees, a source said.

In preparation for the meeting with González, Noem was provided with a summary of the island’s recovery projects. The federal official was informed that there are 406 projects with $2 billion allocated since last summer that remain unfinished or have yet to move forward, sources added. Among those are 14 projects by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) for vegetation removal, six for, among other things, replacing utility poles, and eight by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), including pipeline upgrades and plant improvements, one source said.

“García Martinó’s departure is related to those pending projects,” one source said.

Since last summer, DHS has required that any project costing at least $100,000 receive Noem’s approval. This new requirement has been objected to by mayors because it adds another layer of bureaucracy to the process and keeps projects delayed or stalled.

El Nuevo Día also learned that FEMA’s Caribbean Area Office, which is responsible for operating and managing any emergency on the island, is functioning at partial capacity due to the DHS budget impasse and the partial shutdown it caused.

“It’s not a huge staff, but they are crucial for responding to any emergency. They work hand in hand with the Bureau for Emergency and Disaster Management,” a source said.