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“OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5439-H5440 on Sept. 14, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, Oscar Lopez Rivera is the last Puerto Rican political prisoner still held in Federal custody, now for more than 35 years. He never killed anyone and wasn't charged with killing anyone, but he is still in jail.
The man who shot President Reagan, John Hinckley, Jr., is no longer being held. Other high-profile offenders get clemency and have their sentences reduced.
All of us have seen in the past months that the Obama administration commuted the sentences of hundreds of nonviolent drug offenders. Most of us have applauded that decision, and Oscar Lopez Rivera is still in jail for 35 years--35 years.
No matter what party or faction or class or race or walk of life you are from in Puerto Rico or in the Puerto Rican communities all over the United States, you know about Oscar Lopez Rivera and what he symbolizes for the Puerto Rican people. He is our elder statesman, our Nelson Mandela, our pride, and our sense of nationhood.
We all cheered for Monica Puig at the Olympics and heard our national anthem played for the very first time. Yet there is a piece missing from our national identity, a piece missing from our souls because Oscar Lopez may be forgotten and may die in jail.
It is with deep sadness that I say that it is looking more and more like there is no meaningful review of his case going on at the Justice Department or at the White House or anywhere else.
I met with President Obama on June 8 in his office, and I took the opportunity to ask him about the case of Oscar Lopez Rivera. Lin-Manuel Miranda said that Oscar's case was on the President's desk when they met, and everyone in Puerto Rico relaxed. But the President told me: No, his case is not on my desk. You need to talk to McDonough, my Chief of Staff. I did that at 3 that afternoon. He said: I don't know anything about the case, but the Deputy Attorney General will meet with you and discuss the case.
I tried and tried and tried to get the information from her about where the case stood and how the process of clemency works under the Obama administration. Well, 10 weeks later--yes, 10 weeks later--I heard from the DOJ's assistant to the assistant's assistant in legislative affairs, and he said: I don't know anything about Oscar's case. He went on to say that Deputy Attorney General Yates will not meet with me or anyone else. The reason is they only make contact with outside parties when they initiate it, when they are reaching out for more information on a candidate to make a decision. So they are not making a decision.
Basically, they said, don't call us, we will call you. But no one I know--no one--has received any kind of contact from the DOJ, which makes it pretty clear to me that they are not seriously reviewing the case.
To recap, the President said: It is not on my desk. The Chief of Staff said: I don't know anything about the case, talk to this person at DOJ; and that person, more than 2 months later, told someone to tell me that we will call you if we are seriously reviewing the case. And there has been nothing from the Obama administration.
That is why I continue to call on Puerto Ricans and people of good conscience to come on October 9 to Washington, D.C., as we join together to show our unity and resolve that Oscar Lopez Rivera should be set free to return to Puerto Rico.
Mr. Speaker, I don't mean to be rude, but my message to Puerto Ricans about Oscar Lopez Rivera is so important, I will deliver the rest in Spanish with a translation provided to the House.
(English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)
I am sad to say that our optimism and confidence that President Obama would finally set Oscar Lopez Rivera free is in jeopardy.
Every indication I am getting from the President and his staff is that the review of Oscar's case is not progressing, so we need to make our voices perfectly clear and work together to send the strongest possible message to the President.
If you need to walk, take a bus, crawl, or swim to get to Washington on October 9, you should do so.
We will be gathering on Sunday, October 9, across the street from the White House in Lafayette Park with celebrities, leaders and Puerto Ricans of all kinds.
We cannot let our brother die in jail.
We cannot let our nation be ignored.
We must stand together as Puerto Ricans--no matter who we are, no matter where we were born, no matter where we live now--and tell the President of the United States and the government here in Washington that 35 years is enough. Enough.
We want our brother, Oscar Lopez Rivera, to walk amongst us and to touch his feet on the warm land of Puerto Rico again.
Show that you care and that you will not be silent. Join us on October 9.
Me da tristeza decir que el optimismo y la confianza que el Presidente Obama liberara a Oscar Lopez Rivera esta en grave peligro.
Cada vez que me he comunicado con el personal del Presidente me han indicado que la evaluacion del caso de Oscar no esta progresando; por eso tenemos que hacer nuestras voces perfectamente claras y trabajar juntos para mandarle el mensaje mas fuerte posible al Presidente.
Si tienen que caminar, tomar un autobus, gatear o nadar para llegar a Washington el 9 de octubre, haganlo.
Estaremos reunidos con celebridades, lideres, y Puertorriquenos de todo tipo el domingo, 9 de octubre al cruzar la calle de la Casa Blanca, en Lafayette Park.
No podemos dejar que nuestro hermano muera encarcelado.
No podemos dejar que nuestra patria sea ignorada.
Debemos seguir unidos como Puertorriquenos--sin importar quienes somos, donde nacimos y donde vivimos ahora--y decirle al Presidente de los Estados Unidos y al gobierno aqui en Washington que 35 anos es suficiente. Ya basta.
Queremos que nuestro hermano, Oscar Lopez Rivera, camine entre nosotros y que sus pies toquen la tierra calida de Puerto Rico una vez mas.
Demuestren que esto les importa, y que no se quedaran callados. Unete a nosotros el 9 de octubre.
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