Pedro Saúl Pérez
Encyclopedia
Pedro Saúl Pérez was a Dominican
advocate for the rights of Dominican immigrants and migrants
in Puerto Rico
. Pérez was the founder and president of the Dominican Committee for Human Rights of Puerto Rico.
A legal resident of Puerto Rico for almost 40 years, Pedro Saúl Pérez earned a living as a taxi driver, but spent his remaining time speaking out for the rights of Dominicans living in Puerto Rico.
Many Dominican residents of the island complain about persistent discrimination
from the Puerto Rican majority. One of Pérez's greatest legal victories was his ability to convince Dominican authorities to investigate the death of a Dominican illegal immigrant who died during a Puerto Rican police raid in the 1990s. Pérez was also a leader in opposing a proposed tax on remittances
sent to the Dominican Republic by Dominican residents of Puerto Rico. The proposal was ultimately defeated.
Pedro Saúl Pérez was 54 years old when he died of an apparent heart attack while walking down the street in Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan
. His remains were repatriated for burial, attended by his wife and son, in the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
advocate for the rights of Dominican immigrants and migrants
Dominican immigration to Puerto Rico
There's been movement of people from the territory of the Dominican Republic to its eastern neighbor Puerto Rico, and vice versa, since colonial times, but Dominican immigration to Puerto Rico has risen sharply in recent decades, with tens of thousands of arrivals since 1961...
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Pérez was the founder and president of the Dominican Committee for Human Rights of Puerto Rico.
A legal resident of Puerto Rico for almost 40 years, Pedro Saúl Pérez earned a living as a taxi driver, but spent his remaining time speaking out for the rights of Dominicans living in Puerto Rico.
Many Dominican residents of the island complain about persistent discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
from the Puerto Rican majority. One of Pérez's greatest legal victories was his ability to convince Dominican authorities to investigate the death of a Dominican illegal immigrant who died during a Puerto Rican police raid in the 1990s. Pérez was also a leader in opposing a proposed tax on remittances
Remittances
A remittance is a transfer of money by a foreign worker to his or her home country. Note that in 19th century usage a remittance man was someone exiled overseas and sent an allowance on condition that he not return home....
sent to the Dominican Republic by Dominican residents of Puerto Rico. The proposal was ultimately defeated.
Pedro Saúl Pérez was 54 years old when he died of an apparent heart attack while walking down the street in Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. His remains were repatriated for burial, attended by his wife and son, in the Dominican Republic.