By Pastor Pasqual Urrabazo
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Tuesday, May 5, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. Though only a modest holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.
While this Cinco may fall under unique circumstances, it nevertheless leaves us with the opportunity to recognize Mexican culture and to celebrate that culture with our families and loved ones — all while practicing social distancing guidelines of course! Mexican-Americans know the value of faith and family, and our devotion to those strong bonds embody conservative values.
As a Latino pastor serving the Las Vegas community, I’m thankful to have a President who stands up for the values of my congregation and others like it all over America — especially as some state and local authorities impose unfair, and arguably unconstitutional restrictions on religious worship. Fortunately, my church has been able to hold drive-through prayer services and food drives to continue supporting our community in this difficult time, but others aren’t so fortunate. President Trump’s defense of the right to worship at this time of crisis is perfectly consistent with his support for religious freedom throughout his presidency.
While radical Democrats try to implement extremist pro-abortion measures such as declaring abortions a taxpayer-funded “right” and even cruelly supporting gruesome post-birth abortions, President Trump fights to ensure that not a single taxpayer dollar goes toward funding the murder of innocents — here or abroad.
When Congress passed the $2.2 trillion CARES Act providing relief to individuals and small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tried to sneak in funding for abortion providers. Fortunately, the Trump administration’s negotiators were vigilant, and ensured that abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood aren’t eligible for relief funding intended for small businesses.
On his third day in office, our newly-elected President ended abortion funding abroad by reinstating President Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City Policy. Last year, he halted government support for fetal-tissue research. Perhaps most impressively, he got Planned Parenthood to give up $60 million per year in federal funding by tightening up rules against referring patients seeking family planning services to abortion providers.
President Trump’s commitment to preserving freedom of conscience for Americans of faith on the abortion issue is just one aspect of his broader support for religious liberty.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued a new guidance to safeguard religious liberty and expression in public schools, clarifying once and for all that students have a constitutionally-protected right to pray on school grounds. The White House has also released rules for federal agencies to ensure they are not imposing “unique regulatory burdens” on religious organizations, and President Trump has appointed hundreds of reliable judges who will uphold the Constitution’s broad guarantee of religious freedom.
It’s no wonder that here in Nevada, Democrats are afraid of losing Latino support to President Trump. They are afraid that Latinos will recognize in the President a patriot and a man of faith who keeps his promises to Americans — including his most sacred promise to safeguard our constitutional rights. Democrats are also afraid that more and more Latinos will recognize that President Trump’s economy, before this crisis, was one of unprecedented growth and record-breaking heights, and that only under President Trump’s continued leadership can that economy be restored.
As President Trump coordinates the nation’s efforts to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, we can have faith that he will jealously safeguard our fundamental rights. As the Department of Justice recently reminded overzealous state and local leaders, “there is no pandemic exception for religious freedom.” While the Trump administration firmly supports legitimate efforts to protect the health of American citizens, it will not tolerate unequal application of stay-at-home restrictions, such as allowing drive-through dining but prohibiting drive-through church services.
While this, unfortunately, will be a Cinco de Mayo unlike any other, fortunately we have a President unlike any other.
Pasqual Urrabazo is an Advisory Board Member for Latinos for Trump.