Rusking Pimentel, a former senior adviser for Adriano Espaillat, made racist and Islamophobic comments about Darializa Avila Chevalier in Spanish-language media. The remarks came as the NY-13 Democratic primary neared its final days and prompted public responses from Zohran Mamdani, Avila Chevalier, and Espaillat’s campaign.
Entre Líneas comments
On the Entre Líneas podcast, Pimentel accused her of working with Zohran Mamdani to replace Dominicans in Washington Heights with Muslims and Haitians. He said, “Mamdani, who is also Muslim, his goal is to change the demography of Washington Heights, that Washington Heights no longer be a bastion of the Dominican community, that it rather become a bastion of the Haitian, Muslim community allied to him,” and added, “And for Darializa Chevalier, who is the candidate running against Adriano, Washington Heights cannot continue to be Dominican.”
He also said, “That is because since Haitians are converting to Islam in high numbers, they must be moved to the Dominican district.” Those comments placed Avila Chevalier’s identity and religion inside a campaign attack about who should represent Washington Heights.
Las Exclusivas interview
Pimentel repeated parts of that argument in an interview with Las Exclusivas de José Peguero. He said, “She came from Florida, a young woman that identifies as an Afro-Latina, and she says that supposedly she has Dominican parents, and that now says she wants the opportunity to represent this community.”
Avila Chevalier said in a statement that, “In the final days of this campaign, I have been hit with attacks that use ‘Haitian’ as a slur,” and added, “A coordinated wave of Islamophobia. Lies about my identity, my faith, and my family.” She said, “The smear campaign against me is not politics. That’s racism dressed up and unleashed by my opponent because he has nothing else left.”
Mamdani and Espaillat
Mamdani denounced the comments at a press conference on Monday. He said, “One thing I do want to make clear that I find unacceptable in our city is the attempt to use the term ‘Haitian’ as a slur,” and added that the attacks on Avila Chevalier in NY-13 were “not in line with the values of our city.”
The campaign response from Espaillat’s side drew a narrower line. A spokesperson said, “He is on unpaid leave. The Congressman strongly disavows the comments made on the podcast,” while Espaillat told supporters on Monday, “She’s Dominican, she’s Dominican,” according to The City Reporter’s Claudia Irizarry Aponte. The campaign also said Pimentel was neither an official nor unofficial surrogate.
Pimentel joined Espaillat’s congressional office in September 2024 after serving as Luis Sepúlveda’s communications director and senior adviser, and he was still listed on Legistorm as a senior adviser on March 31. Whether the leave becomes a lasting office decision, or stays a temporary separation, is the part of the record that remains unsettled after the public disavowal.
