Op-Ed: It is Not Fair for Puerto Rico, and It's Not Fair for Doña Juana and Don Pepe Here in New York

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Councilman,  Rubén Díaz Sr.

District 18 Bronx County, New York

You should know that the majority of Democrats in the U.S. Congress including the only three (3) Puerto Rican Nydia Velazquez, Jose Serrano, Luis Gutierrez, voted against the Republican budget that included 16,000,000,000 (sixteen thousand million dollars) on aide for the re-construction of Puerto Rico.

This was done in response to a call from Governor Andrew Cuomo and other national leaders, who were in opposition of the budget based on the fact that it did not include D.A.C.A. (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival).

It’s is important also for you to know that New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and the State Assembly are pushing to give free college tuition to undocumented immigrants.

As you know I am not only a New York City Council Member but also an Evangelical Christian. Pastor of The Christian Community Neighborhood Church in Bronx County.  I am also the President of the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization of New York, that is composed of more than one hundred fifty (150) Hispanics Ministers and pastors in New York City.

The idea of giving free college tuition to undocumented immigrants sounds like a very good humanitarian idea.  It sounds good especially to people of faith like myself.  However, when we look at the bigger picture, it is also unfair to the legal U.S. residents of our state.  It’s unfair to the struggling parents, the poor and low-income families who have seen their children’s educational aspirations and dreams shot down by the very same people who are also offered here undocumented better opportunities for a college education.

These parents (legal residents) often have to work two (2) jobs in their quest to make a college degree attainable for their children.  Too often these parents and or their children are strapped with tuition student loans, graduating with a huge debt averaging $70,000.00-$100,000.00 to be paid for the next thirty to forty years.

Is the year 2010 New York State decided it could no longer afford to offer (TAP) “Tuition Assistance Program” to our (U.S. legal residents) seeking a higher, better education.  So the fair question to ask is, so how can we afford this that Governor Cuomo is proposing for undocumented immigrants?

Now, after Hurricane Maria, we Puerto Rican’s are seeing our brothers and sisters suffering, having hospital’s without lights, half of the island without electricity for more than five (5) months and the U.S. Congress voted against the budget that includes some help to the island of Puerto Rico just because that was not D.A.C.A.

Something is wrong with this picture!

It is a Christian virtue to help all immigrants and doing all that which is within our reach.  But it is not fair for Doña Juana and Don Pepe to see that their children are being left behind.

Something is wrong with this picture!

This is Councilman Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.