Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Denounces Puerto Rico Government’s Betrayal of Immigrant Communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a powerful floor speech today, Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández condemned what he described as "three blows of betrayal" against Puerto Rico's immigrant communities, highlighting recent actions by the local government that he said violated civil rights and community trust.

Referencing a Dominican dish known as "los tres golpes," ("the three blows") Hernández used the image to underscore the gravity of the situation. "It breaks the heart," he said. "But not as much as the three blows our immigrant community has suffered at the hands of our own government."

He outlined three events in January:

1. A promise from the Governor that ICE raids would not occur in Puerto Rico.
2. A raid that followed days later, detaining documented immigrants.
3. A revelation that the Department of Transportation and Public Works had shared immigrants' personal data with federal immigration authorities.

"Let me be clear," he said. "We all want immigrants to have their paperwork in order. We all want those who break the law to face consequences. But no one can defend a government deceiving its most vulnerable community. No one can defend a government asking for personal information to issue a driver's license and then handling it over to the federal government so they can be investigated and deported."

The Resident Commissioner emphasized the devastating impact this has on the lives of immigrants: "We are talking about human beings. We are talking about children who could lose their parents. We are talking about the elderly people who could lose the children who care for them."

He dismissed the claim that the Puerto Rico government must cooperate with federal immigration enforcement to protect funding, pointing to legal precedent from 20 states that have challenged similar federal overreach. "And Puerto Rico? Coward," he said.

Hernández concluded with a call to conscience: "History will show that this government betrayed Dominicans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and so many others to appease Donald Trump. As a friend told me-'they gave them three blows and threw them into the mondongo.'"

Click HERE to view and HERE to read the Resident Commissioner's speech as delivered.

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