‘A human rights crisis is unfolding in Puerto Rico’

For the past few days, I’ve been walking around with a question that’s been bothering me. These are not questions that can be answered from a desk or from a distance, but questions that arise from what we witnessed in real time at the gate and from the faces of those who remained there, not knowing how this would end. What’s really going on inside the University of Puerto Rico and why so many students have decided to risk it all in this moment when they can’t afford to lose anything?

I write as someone who lives very close to the Rio Piedras campus. These days, the constant movement that once defined this space has been replaced by silence. Absence is felt everywhere on the street corners where students once frequented the streets. Since arriving in Puerto Rico three years ago, I have learned first-hand stories that rarely make it into the press or public statements. This was one of the reasons I chose to stay here. To serve the university community and help create a space where students can find something as basic as a safe meal at night and somehow alleviate the burdens that are often held in silence.

I have listened, asked questions, and tried to understand without imposing answers. What I discovered is not a collective outburst or generational whim. What exists is a chasm, a deep disconnect between those who make the decisions and those who live with the consequences every day.

Efforts have been made to attribute the strike to issues of order, schedules, or academic disruption. The conversation revolves around students who have missed class, are late for the semester, and are perhaps unaware of the consequences of their actions. Rarely addressed are situations in which entire student bodies are forced to suspend their futures in order to continue protests with no guarantees.

Because that’s the reality. They know full well what they are risking, yet they still stay. When someone reaches that point, the least they deserve is to be heard, not criticized.

There are also attempts from outside to discredit what is happening. Familiar stories repeat themselves, their legitimacy questioned, and questions raised about intentions. It’s easier than admitting that this didn’t start at the door, but with decisions made long ago without building trust.

And you have to say something clearly. This is not limited to the Gates of Rio Piedras. What we are witnessing extends to all units of the University of Puerto Rico System. Mayaguez, Ponce, Arecibo, Bayamon, Cayey, Humacao, Carolina, Aguadilla, Utuado, Medical Sciences Campus. This is not an isolated reaction. It is a movement that runs through the entire organization. Rio Piedras may be more visible, but it’s not the only one. What is happening there reflects the widespread unrest felt throughout the system.

In that context, one of the demands for the resignation of University of Puerto Rico President Zaira Jordão Conde is gaining increasing presence. This is not the voice of a small group. This reflects a deeper mistrust spreading across multiple campuses.

The Puerto Rico University Professors Association also made it clear that this is not just a student issue. There is real concern among faculty and a shared understanding of the conditions currently shaping the university. When students and professors reach the same conclusion, the problem can no longer be minimized.

Meanwhile, the administration continues to use the word dialogue. However, dialogue is not just words, it is practice. And when trust is broken, it can’t be restored by words alone, but by a decision to demonstrate that you truly listen.

Meanwhile, there are voices that cannot be ignored. Voice is not based on theory, but on lived experience. One of them is Joanna Sifredo, a student at the Mayaguez campus. She is a young Puerto Rican trans woman widely known for her advocacy work.

I talked to her the last few days. What follows is her voice.

How do you explain what’s going on inside the University of Puerto Rico right now beyond what people see from the outside?

To maintain a safe situation, to maintain safe control, certain controls are in place to maintain safe control, to prepare for safe control, and to prepare for making managerial decisions. Bividio momentos muy poderosos. Esta lucha ha sacado lo mehor de nuestra commune.

Lo vimos en las asambleas y plenos, donde 1,500, 1,700, hasta 1,800 atiendan nuestro reclamos.

He works on teaching in different portone personas, graduates, aretas, intercambio educational institutions, intensive educational institutions and all universities. Estudiantes que Wienen, Los Portones, Después del Trabajo, Antes de Trabajal. Estudiantes que vienen a dejar agua y suministros entreturnos de trabajo.

Stay active to resolve any situation, maintain tension and resistance, build community, unite, and compromise.

Much of what is being discussed remains at the level of headlines and social media. From your direct experience, do you think any specific decisions or actions by the administration led to this level of mobilization?

First decision, Dora’s design. Zayira Jordán Conde Careció de respaldo dentro de la Comunidad universitaria. We have no experience with the management of UPR or information on new processes, culture and regulations. The government reviews the activities of various organizations and collects various information in response to government requests. A consensus exists that requires necessary experimentation, and new educational institutions are established.

Government decisions should be made ignoring the university community and misconduct.

Transport cargo, ensure safe transportation, and achieve transparency and cooperation. The embargo of sin, the detonante of the film director of the University of Mayaguez, the decision to abolish the system, the unilateral management of the medical period, the safe supervision, the involvement of Al Nuestro, Dr. Agustín Lulan Toro, Director of the Re-screening Plaza, Dr. Miguel Muñoz Muñoz.

Sudden events, changes in circumstances, and promotion of institutional stability. It is an inevitable event: There is no prior decision, but is there no empirical evidence? Should we make a decision in advance? There is no need to check in advance.

Además decides on the decisions in the Estudiantado and the implementation of the education of the “sorprendente” and “preocupante”, including the new education of the educational institutions of RUM by the Fundación team of Ceiba. An impulsive decision to maintain stability for the president and the university.

As a trans woman in this movement, what is going on with your identity and why will this shape the future of people like you?

Soybean is a necessary feature to perform various forms of work efficiently.

What is the real impact of this crisis for those outside the UPR who believe this does not affect them?

The University of Puerto Rico serves Pueblo.

The role that the University of Puerto Rico and its students have played in shaping the social, cultural, and economic life of this country cannot be overstated. Its influence extends to science, medicine, and all the professions that have supported Puerto Rico over the years. No other educational institution contributes as much.

After listening to her story, there is one thing that cannot be denied. This isn’t just a protest; it’s a generation refusing to let go of what little remains within its reach. And when a generation reaches that point, the problem is no longer the strike, the problem becomes the country itself.