CONGRESSMAN RITCHIE TORRES URGES GOVERNOR OF PUERTO RICO TO RECONSIDER THE CLOSURE OF THE PRFAA OFFICE IN NYC, CRUCIAL TO THE NY-PUERTO RICAN DIASPORA

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) sent a letter to Governor Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico urging his administration to consider reopening the Puerto Rico Federal Administration (PRFAA) office in New York City, and demanding transparency regarding the rationale for its closure.

New York State has the second-highest population of Puerto Ricans in the United States outside of the Commonwealth. Congressman Torres’ Congressional district (NY-15) has a higher concentration of Puerto Ricans than any other county in the United States. Yet, in 2017, the PRFAA office in NYC was shuttered with little justification. This decision was detrimental to the Puerto Rican diaspora residing in NYC. PRFAA provided invaluable services to Puerto Ricans originally born on the island and helped build relationships between the Puerto Rican diaspora in NYC and current residents of Puerto Rico.

Former residents of Puerto Rico, many of whom are now constituents of the South Bronx, struggle to access their birth certificates, school records, and other important documents from the Government of Puerto Rico in the absence of PRFAA in NYC. They have no choice but to seek administrative services and support from PRFAA in Orlando, or from the government affairs office in Washington, D.C. Many of these constituents face additional burdens as they struggle to navigate bureaucratic and technological hurdles.  

Representative Torres urges the Government of Puerto Rico to reconsider the closure of PRFAA, and transparently inform the public of the reasons for its closure.

You can read the full letter here and below.