Former Puerto Rican Democratic congressman Luis Gutiérrez faces a health condition affecting his vision that has, according to a spokesman, caused difficulties communicating verbally. José López, executive director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center of Chicago, disclosed the situation on Sunday night, October 18, after Puerto Rico Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz and the X account of a Puerto Rican podcast made comments about the former congressman.
López Rivera said Gutiérrez suffers from a condition that has begun affecting his speech and that, for several years, a vision impairment has affected his ability to communicate verbally, though it has not stopped his patriotic work advocating for Puerto Rico in the United States. Gutiérrez had shown verbal difficulties during an interview in Ponce, held during the 80th anniversary celebration of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP).
Rivera Schatz posted clips of the interview and said opposition parties to the New Progressive Party (PNP) had been given "alguito" during the activity to endure what awaits them in the 2028 elections. López Rivera accused Rivera Schatz, "like his sidekick Donald Trump," of mocking people with physical impairments, called the attack condemnable, and wished him healing. Gutiérrez represented Illinois’s 4th congressional district in the US House for 13 consecutive terms.