Hundreds hear Colombian president speak in New Jersey

Hundreds gathered in Elizabeth on Sunday to hear the president of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, speak to the state's Colombian-American community.

Moments after stepping onto the stage of the Elizabeth High School auditorium, Duque gave a near 20-minute speech, mostly in Spanish, that touched on several topics of his presidency, including the economy, tourism, access to higher education and the migration of 1.4 million Venezuelans to Colombia in recent years.

He denounced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and said Colombia will welcome migrants because it’s the right thing to do.

“Colombia during many decades had citizens who went to Venezuela looking for opportunities,” he said, noting that one of his great uncles moved to Venezuela in the 1970s. “Today, I would like to say to you all, when there is tragedy the only thing that cannot happen is indifference.”

“We will work hard so that Venezuela can recuperate the liberty it deserves,” he added later during a question-and-answer session.

Duque was invited to New Jersey by Sen. Bob Menendez, who traveled to Colombia in July and hosted Sunday's event. Menendez said Colombia stands as the “most important partner in Latin America” and lauded Duque's response to the migration crisis of Venezuelans.

“Many countries are closing their doors to immigrants, including, sadly to say, the United States,“ Menendez said. “Colombia with its great spirit of generosity has kept its doors open. And addressing these challenges is not easy, which is why the United States needs to double down on our support for Colombia now.”

Menendez said he plans to introduce legislation in coming months to strengthen the U.S.-Colombia partnership and to strengthen collaboration on security and human rights between the two countries.

New Jersey is home to more than 100,000 residents of Colombian ancestry. Several of those in attendance said they were looking forward to hearing the president talk about issues affecting their native land.

“I’m so happy he is here to chat with his fellow countrymen,” said Humberto Mesa of Paterson, editor of El Imperio, a Spanish-language magazine that circulates in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as well as Colombia. “The country of Colombia is going through very difficult economic situations left by previous government ... having him here is important.”

The visit by Duque, who arrived in the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, comes as tensions between Venezuela and Colombia escalate. This month, the Venezuelan military conducted drills on the border with Colombia. And a few days later, several countries activated the Rio Treaty, a 70-year-old mutual defense pact that allows the use of economic sanctions or military force to destabilize the Venezuelan government led by Maduro.

Oscar Figueroa of Union said he was pleased with Duque’s speech and that the president had many ideas for improvement. Figueroa hopes the president gets support from others in Colombia.

“I hope he realizes what he wants to do. He only has four years before re-election,” Figueroa said.

Francys Sanchez of North Bergen said it was nice to hear the president in person and that she was grateful he wanted to talk to Colombians living abroad.

“He came to us, giving us his time to answer questions that we find important,” she said.

Duque said he lived in the United States for 14 years, and during that time he met many Colombians who shared with him their immigration stories.

"It makes me emotional to see the Colombian community in this country, because you have Colombia in your heart,'' he said in Spanish.

Outside Elizabeth High School, a group of critics gathered with signs that read in part "Duque amigo de Narcos," which translates to "Duque is a friend of drug traffickers," while they chanted "Duque no hace nada," which translates to "Duque does nothing."

"He's wishy-washy,'' said Diego Quintero of Elizabeth. "He is not prepared to be president."

The event drew Colombians not only from New Jersey but from other states as well. Alvaro Esparza and Margarita Pulido and their two daughters, who live in Washington D.C., drove north Saturday and stayed at a local hotel to attend the forum.

Esparza, who studied business administration at George Washington University, said he wanted to find out more about Colombia’s efforts to reach peace with the guerrillas. But he also was interested in hearing about how Colombians living in the United States could give back to their community and fellow countrymen back home. 

“Even though we don’t live in Colombia, how can we help the community from the experiences we’ve had here?” explained his daughter Stefannia, 22, a recent graduate of Brigham Young University in Idaho.

Pulido, a medical technologist, said it was most important that they wanted to show support for Duque.

“He needs it,” she said.

Duque's visit to the Garden State is not the first for a Colombian leader. In 2005, President Alvaro Uribe Velez addressed crowds of mostly Colombians in North Bergen and Elizabeth.