New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, said Friday in San Juan that favorable results for Democrats in the United States midterm elections will affect Puerto Rico "a lot." He spoke at a press conference at the headquarters of the nonprofit El Puente in the working-class Río Piedras neighborhood, after meeting with the Hispanic Federation during the SOMOS conference, which he attended for a second consecutive year.
Mamdani said what is described in Puerto Rico as a natural crisis is in fact a political crisis resulting from political decisions, tied to the island’s status as a US free associated state, which many consider colonial. He was accompanied at the SOMOS event, which annually gathers Hispanic and New York politicians, by recently reelected New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who said a new chapter opens for Puerto Rico even though Puerto Ricans could not vote in the elections, and cited a retreat from commitment over the past two years.
It was announced that the Hispanic Federation (HF) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY) formed an alliance with an initial commitment of $280,000 to strengthen community-led resilience centers across Puerto Rico. New York officials heard Puerto Rican communities’ complaints about gentrification, the energy system crisis, water service interruptions and immigration raids by the administration of President Donald Trump.
Mamdani said he heard testimonies from people afraid to leave their homes for fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the same stories heard in New York. El Puente director Federico Cintrón Moscoso said water cisterns and solar panels would be installed so the building could eventually serve as a shelter during climate disasters.
Mamdani then attended the Friday midday jummah prayer and was to take part in a roundtable on the Esencia project and the 'PR No Se Vende' movement.