Puerto Rican and Allied Groups Decry Trump’s Plan to Raid Disaster Funds for Puerto Rico and Other Stricken Areas as “reposterous” and “an abominable sleight of hand”
Puerto Rican and Allied Groups Decry Trump’s Plan to Raid Disaster Funds for Puerto Rico and Other Stricken Areas as “reposterous” and “an abominable sleight of hand”
01.11.2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
...
01.11.2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Versión en español a seguir
Contact: Carolina Gonzalez (929) 287-4263 cagonzalez@seiu32bj.org; Marlene Peralta (646) 601-4267 marlene.peralta@progressivecities.com
New York –Advocacy and community groups working on behalf of Puerto Rican families in the states and on the island expressed outrage today at news reports of the Trump Administration’s plan to illegally raid disaster relief funding designated for Puerto Rico and other areas in the US hit by devastating storms and fires, to fund the building of a barrier along the border with Mexico.“This preposterous plan to take crucial funding from Puerto Ricans, Texans, Californians and others who are far from recovered from storms, fires and other disasters last year represents yet another escalation of Trump’s persecution of Black and Brown communities,” said Julio López Varona, Director of Community Dignity Campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy, and steering committee member of VAMOS4PR. “Once again, he wants to circumvent the law and all principles of common decency, insisting on walls of hate to divide us instead of rebuilding homes and businesses in our communities.”
“Trump’s proposal is an abominable sleight of hand, taking resources that millions of hardworking people in Puerto Rico and in states across the country need to rebuild their lives, and turning them into a weapon to further his racist and xenophobic agendas,” said Héctor Figueroa, president of SEIU 32BJ and member of the steering committee of VAMOS4PR. “This idea mocks the will of the majority of people in this country, who understand that we need to help people in need, instead of playing with tax dollars to prove a point.”
"Every day we see our displaced Puerto Rican families and our immigrant families fighting to survive through community building and sharing,” said Bárbara López, Director, Make the Road CT. “This latest attack by president Trump is an attempt to pit brown communities against each other and fund hate. Our communities in Connecticut will not stand for this."
"Trump’s racist agenda is in full force as he continues to threaten Black and Brown communities from getting the resources they need to recover from natural disasters while pushing for a more persecution and death at the border,” said Patricia Zapata, a member of CASA. “CASA will continue fighting against any efforts from the administration to hurt communities of color and we demand that our representatives stand strong against the funding of the wall of hate."
“We will continue to welcome and support Puerto Ricans displaced by the hurricane, and do all in our power to help them while the island rebuilds,” said Debbie Soto, President of Organize Florida. “Donald Trump's actions are appalling. The Trump administration must stop the persecution of our communities and increase funding for real national emergencies, like the humanitarian crisis created by Hurricane Maria.”
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Los grupos puertorriqueños y sus aliados condenan como "absurdo" y "un juego de manos abominable" el plan de Trump de robar fondos para desastres destinados a Puerto Rico y otras áreas afectadasNueva York: Grupos comunitarios y de abogacía que trabajan en defensa de familias puertorriqueñas en los estados y en la isla expresaron su indignación hoy frente a los informes noticiosos de un plan de la Administración de Trump para ilegalmente vaciar los fondos de ayuda para desastres designados para Puerto Rico y otras áreas en los Estados Unidos, azotados por devastadoras tormentas e incendios, para financiar la construcción de una barrera a lo largo de la frontera con México.
"Este plan absurdo para quitarle fondos claves a puertorriqueños, tejanos, californianos y otros que les falta mucho para recuperarse de las tormentas, incendios y otros desastres que han sufrido el año pasado, representa otra escalada más de la persecución de Trump a las comunidades de color", dijo Julio López Varona, Director de Dignidad Comunitaria. Campañas, Center for Popular Democracy y miembro del comité directivo de VAMOS4PR. "Una vez más, quiere ignorar la ley y todos los principios de decencia humana, insistiendo en que nos dividan los muros del odio, en lugar de reconstruir los hogares y negocios en nuestras comunidades".
"La propuesta de Trump es un juego de manos abominable, que toma recursos que millones de personas trabajadoras en Puerto Rico y en varios estados necesitan para reconstruir sus vidas, y las convierte en un arma para promover sus agendas racistas y xenófobas", dijo Héctor Figueroa, presidente de SEIU. 32BJ y miembro del comité directivo de VAMOS4PR. "Esta idea se burla de la voluntad de la mayoría de las personas en este país, quienes comprenden que necesitamos ayudar a las personas necesitadas, en lugar de jugar con los impuestos que pagamos para probar un punto".
"Todos los días vemos a nuestras familias puertorriqueñas desplazadas y a nuestras familias inmigrantes luchando para sobrevivir mediante la construcción y el intercambio de la comunidad", dijo Bárbara López, Directora de Make the Road CT. "Este último ataque del presidente Trump es un intento de poner a las comunidades de color en conflicto las unas con las otras y de financian el odio. Nuestras comunidades en Connecticut no aceptarán esto".
"La agenda racista de Trump está en plena vigencia, ya que continúa amenazando a las comunidades de color para detener los recursos que necesitan para recuperarse de los desastres naturales, al tiempo que promueve una mayor persecución y muertes en la frontera", dijo Patricia Zapata, miembro de CASA. "CASA continuará luchando contra cualquier esfuerzo de la administración para hacerle daño a las comunidades de color y exigimos que nuestros representantes se mantengan firmes contra la financiación del muro del odio".
"Organize Florida continuará dándole la bienvenida y apoyando a los puertorriqueños desplazados por el huracán y haremos todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para apoyarlos mientras la isla se reconstruye", dijo Debbie Soto, Presidente de Organize Florida. “Las acciones de Donald Trump son espantosas. Trump necesita detener su persecución a nuestras comunidades y aumentar los fondos para verdaderas emergencias nacionales, como la crisis humanitaria creada por el huracán María ".
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