Vives participated in a press conference in New York with the Hispanic food company Goya, which, to celebrate its 90th anniversary, sponsors his tour and made a donation to his Tras la Perla foundation, focused on social development in his native Santa Marta, Colombia.
Asked about a message for his audience, when in the US the Government of President Donald Trump continues with the deportation campaign, Vives made a plea in favor of immigrants, thanking them for boosting his career and recognizing himself in them.
“I have always been a defender,” declared the award-winning artist, who praised “the capacity for work and love” of the “immigrant who came to build and make this country bigger,” and assured that he can feel represented by “a Mexican tomato picker in Florida.”
“This is the town where I was born, noble and hard-working people,” he added.
The actor and composer also clarified that there are immigrants who are dedicated to crime or are a danger to the community, but he reasoned that this scourge “has no nationality” and criticized the use of origins “to talk about things that are not right.”
“The majority deserve an opportunity, the majority want to build, they want to love and they do it in a spectacular way,” said Vives, who reiterated that the United States “has been blessed because we are neighbors” and added that the “humanity of the people is very valuable.”
The Grammy and Latin Grammy winner, who has sold millions of albums, is preparing to release his new album on May 1, The last albumfor which he has made several previews, and will begin the American leg of his tour on Friday in New York, about which he was excited.
In that sense, he related the philanthropic work of his foundation, which seeks to “return freedom” to the residents of Santa Marta, and the possibility of traveling that his career has given him, to conclude with a message of unity for Hispanic Americans.
“Music took me around the world (…), showed me my entire family and gave me something back: my Hispanic pride, my Spanish pride. That makes me, more than a Latino, say: I am Hispanic American,” he reflected, and demanded “return affection to our Hispanic heritage.”