August 13, 2020
During a caravan stop on August 8, 2020 US Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell stated “no one thought that we were going to be able to take the Establishment, the Republican Cuban Establishment that has taken a hold of Florida politics for more than 20 years.”
Had she referred simply to the Republican Establishment, FACE, Facts About Cuban Exiles, we would not be writing this letter. But she expanded the statement to make sure people knew she was talking about not just the Republican Establishment but the Republican Cuban Establishment in a disparaging tone.
Rep. Mucarsel-Powell narrowly won in 2018 in a heavily Cuban district. During that campaign, she did not identify Cubans as a target to be unseated from politics. The fact that many Cubans are Republicans is their right, as it is to be Democrats. The Establishment means that voters have established in power those they wanted to represent them, and Cubans and non-Cubans alike have voted in the Florida elections.
Being a constituency of 1,213,438 million Cuban Americans in Florida (2010 U.S. Census) it is no surprise that they have established themselves in politics as they have in all other fields of endeavor thanks to the great political freedoms Cubans enjoy in the U.S. in comparison to the lack thereof in their homeland.
We hereby request that Congresswoman Mucarsel-Powell of District 26 provide an immediate retraction and apology for her derogatory comments towards the Cuban American community.
Sincerely,
Eduardo J. García, Chairman
Facts About Cuban Exiles (FACE) was founded in 1982 to defend the reputation of Cuban exiles and Cuban Americans. FACE includes many prominent civic and community leaders who represent a cross-section of the Cuban diaspora in Miami. Its mission is to promote, foster, and improve the reputation and image of people of Cuban origin who have sought refuge outside of Cuba due to the existing political conditions, as well as that of their descendants. FACE also endeavors to promote goodwill towards Cuban-Americans and to develop greater understanding and cooperation with other groups in the Miami community. FACE has encouraged fair and balanced media coverage and has responded to biased or erroneous reports. It has published Cubans: An Epic Journey in English and Spanish and regularly publishes information concerning Cuban exiles and Cuban-Americans on its website www.facecuba.org