Republicans have a very telling message for Puerto Ricans displaced by last year’s devastating Hurricane Maria: STAY AWAY from the mainland US and whatever you do, DON’T register to vote!
Politics
After the hurricane plowed through the US island territory, knocking out power, fresh water, and most food supplies, many Puerto Ricans fled to Florida in the aftermath. However, John Ward, a Republican congressional candidate from Florida’s 6th Congressional District has announced he is adamant about not wanting these people to indoctrinate themselves into the US political system — despite the fact that Puerto Ricans are not foreigners but bonafide American citizens.
During a political Q&A, Ward was asked by a voter how he would respond to Puerto Ricans who have “moved either temporarily or permanently to Florida” when “they say that they need more help and that the aid to Puerto Rico is not enough.”
His response was beyond shocking.
“First of all, I don’t think they should be allowed to register to vote. It’s not lost on me that, I think, the Democrat party’s really hoping that they can change the voting registers in a lot of counties and districts, and I don’t think they should be allowed to do that.”
Ward added that “we should be looking to put the Puerto Ricans back in their homes. The idea that they can come to the mainland United States, I don’t necessarily have a problem with that, but I think we should be thinking about it in terms of getting them back home and providing the capital and resources to rebuild Puerto Rico, which is, I honestly think, is where they belong.”
Hmmm…
Ward’s position was akin to attempting to prevent someone moving from Wisconsin to Florida to register or vote — which would be unconstitutional.
Politics
Realizing the enormous backlash Ward’s words were about to cause the GOP and their attempts to hold onto power in Washington, Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis (who currently represents Florida’s 6th District) came to Ward’s aid.
“Puerto Ricans are US citizens and any suggestion that they should be treated differently than other Americans is beyond the pale,” DeSantis said. “These are our fellow Americans and candidates running for office as Republicans need to be committed to equal treatment under the law for all of our citizens.”
Florida State Rep. Bob Cortes also raced to reprimand his fellow Republican.
“I find it very ignorant and highly offensive that someone would suggest that an American citizen should not be afforded their constitutional right to register to vote,” Cortes said. “I do not believe the Democrat Party should be able to take advantage of Puerto Rican evacuees fleeing a natural disaster, here on a temporary basis, in order to manipulate voter registrations rolls in the run-up to the 2018 elections. I would welcome any Puerto Rican who wants to permanently resettle in Florida to register to vote here. We’re all American citizens together. That said, if a natural disaster displaced me from Florida to some other state temporarily, I’d still want to vote by absentee in FL, my home community and voter registration, and not elsewhere.”
Now, if anyone was unclear as to how the Republican Party feels about Hispanic voters and immigrants, the words of John Ward and the actions of Donald Trump should make things crystal clear!
I agree DJ. The Trump party (formerly known as the Republican party) really has made it “crystal clear” how most Trump voters feel about voters and immigrants of Latino/Hispanic heritage.
But I commend Repub Reps Ron DeSantis and Don Cortes. They stepped up and *checked* that Ward guy at the gate.
And you can bet that neither Trump nor John Ward knew that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Both of them had to be informed…smh.
Haters tend to be dumb as a box of rocks.