Hertz, the rental automotive chain, has apologized after an worker refused to offer a Puerto Rican man his pay as you go reserved automotive at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport as a result of he offered a driver’s license issued on the island as an alternative of a passport.
The man, Humberto Marchand, recorded and described a part of the incident on the Hertz counter in Kenner, La., and shared it on Twitter on May 10. It was extensively considered as others informed related tales of how Americans usually fail to appreciate that individuals born in Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, are American residents.
Mr. Marchand started recording whereas the interplay with the Hertz worker was already underway, and apparently after she had requested his passport as an alternative of allowing him to make use of his driver’s license, issued in Puerto Rico.
“It is a valid ID,” Mr. Marchand says repeatedly, as he movies. “It is a prepaid reservation.”
“Would you like me to call the police?” the worker says.
“Yes, please call the police,” he says. The lady takes a cellphone from her pocket and begins to talk, offering the situation of the Hertz counter.
“Call the police. I am not doing anything illegal,” Mr. Marchand says.
“Yes you are,” she replies.
He says she is “denying a U.S. citizen” his reservation, which had been pay as you go together with his bank card.
“Do you know that my driver’s license in Puerto Rico is as valid as a Louisiana driver’s license?” he provides.
When requested on Monday concerning the incident, Hertz stated in an announcement that the worker had not adopted coverage. It stated the corporate accepts Puerto Rican driver’s licenses from prospects renting within the United States, with out requiring a passport.
“We sincerely regret that our policy was not followed and have apologized to Mr. Marchand and refunded his rental,” the corporate stated. “We are reinforcing our policies with employees to ensure that they are understood and followed consistently across our locations.”
Mr. Marchand’s story was picked up by nationwide news organizations and Spanish-language media. In a extensively shared interview with David Begnaud, a nationwide correspondent for “CBS Mornings,” Mr. Marchand stated that the Kenner police officer who responded to the Hertz worker’s name informed Mr. Marchand that he would name “Border Patrol” if he didn’t depart the premises.
Mr. Marchand, whose LinkedIn profile describes him as a former United States federal probation worker, couldn’t be instantly reached on Monday. There was no response to emailed questions despatched to the Kenner Police Department.
People born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, have the identical birthright American citizenship as individuals born within the 50 states below Section 302 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Its individuals have a delegate within the House of Representatives and a say in presidential nominations, though they can not vote basically elections with out residency in one of many 50 states.
The expertise of Mr. Marchand, whose license was in English and Spanish, in response to Mr. Begnaud’s report, is a recurring matter within the United States. A 2017 ballot confirmed that solely a slim majority of Americans notice Puerto Ricans are American residents.
Mr. Begnaud’s report stirred related tales from different American residents born in Puerto Rico of their very own encounters with private-sector employers and authorities businesses.
Source: www.nytimes.com