This past September, Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Fiona which left many parts of the island without power. In 2017, Hurricane Maria, a category 5 storm hit the island, and thousands died, houses were destroyed, and months after the hurricane hit, people were still left without power–this was the deadliest natural disaster the U.S. has seen in a century. These natural disasters often draw national attention to the problems that Puerto Rico faces: the infrastructure, local government, economy, and ability to democratize as a “Commonwealth” of the U.S. under what can still be considered the imperial and colonial rule. Democratization has always been a difficult process for Puerto Rico, as their rights have been violated through their current status under the U.S. government. Because of the political mistreatment that the island has dealt with, there have been fluctuating rises of populism and strong nationalist movements. There is also a consistent disconnect with American democracy due to their in-between standing that has contributed to their inability to democratize against or for statehood and ensure fair representation and rights of inhabitants of the island. The U.S. fails to be considered a true democracy unless they annex Puerto Rico to Statehood, or let them become an independent nation.
Puerto Rico began as a colony under imperial rule by Spain until power was relinquished after the Spanish-American war and the Treaty of Paris, which gave the U.S. control over the island. When Puerto Rico was granted Commonwealth status in 1952, the territory still lacked the right to self-determination that democracy promises. This began prior, with legislation such as La Ley de Mordaza, Puerto Rico’s “gag” law was enacted in 1948 and lasted for nine years. This law allowed for the criminalization of speech and organization against the U.S. government, or in favor of Puerto Rican independence. It also made it illegal to exhibit any nationalist material including the Puerto Rican flag as its intention was seen as a threat to the U.S. government. These conditions went directly against the clauses of the U.S. constitution, proving that a Commonwealth did not guarantee democratic nor constitutional rights, contributing to the democratic disconnect, and political culture on the island.
Currently, residents are still not granted the right to vote in federal elections, with no say on who will become president, nor do they have any representation in either the House of Representatives or Senate. Despite no representation, they are still subjected to the laws and statutes of every other American citizen, as citizenship is a right that is protected. They also pay into federally funded aid programs and pay federal taxes as well. Because of this, Puerto Rico has a long history of populist and nationalist movements that work against this type of political corruption.
While the movements have been on and off throughout Puerto Rico’s history, the most recent developments give us insight into why populism is becoming so prevalent. In 2019, the governor of Puerto Rico decided it was in the best interest to resign after the protests of hundreds of thousands of people were heard in the island’s capital. The protests were against federal corruption and fraud, leaked chats indulging in profanity, as well as poor response and mismanagement during Hurricane Maria. Because of the hard times, economic inequality, and feeling of being left behind by the American government, protesters made their voices heard as they insisted on Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s impeachment.
The poor disaster relief did not only come from the local government but especially from federal disaster aid. During the Hurricane Maria crisis, FEMA admitted in a report their failure to support the island and the infrastructure requirements. They also greatly lacked disaster relief supplies such as generators for the power grids. Of course, the report does not acknowledge why the response was unequal compared to states that faced natural disasters, yet the answer obviously lies in the relationship between the U.S. and its territory. The American government continues to mistreat Puerto Rico because of the economic and political advantages they have over the island without having to distribute equal rights. History has shown that Puerto Rico’s ability to democratize can be easily opposed. So, they use excuses such as cultural compatibility and language differences in order to keep them in between, where they can exploit the island for its resources without having to directly support its citizens. The U.S. economic supremacy leaves little room for monetary growth for the population, causing resentment harbored in many Puerto Ricans. The gap between responsible governance by the elites and the wishes of those living in Puerto Rico is very different. It comes as no surprise that populist movements are rising, despite federal democracy never truly existing in Puerto Rico.
It’s important to look at why the American government hasn’t annexed Puerto Rico to statehood, despite efforts to outlaw imperialism and exemplify the freedom of democracy that America prides itself on. The U.S. must have seen the growing popularity of populism, and finally sent a bill to Congress for statehood. The fluctuation of support for statehood has risen and fallen, as Puerto Rico becomes closer to obtaining it. As of 2021, there is a bill in the House of Representatives that will admit Puerto Rico as the 51 states of America. 53% of Puerto Rican voters voted ‘Yes’ in a non-binding ballot referendum. Half of Puerto Ricans believe they deserve to see the money they put into federal aid returned to them, and have federal voting rights that right now are a luxury to them. The other half believes that statehood would erase their national identity, and further allow the U.S. to exploit them.
Puerto Ricans may finally get to experience democracy shown through their economy and infrastructure, and their faith in local government may rise as well. Without it, Puerto Rico may become a populist capital, with distrust from any party or politician to improve their lives. Despite the outcome of the bill, Puerto Ricans deserve to be treated equally and fairly by a democratic government. Until then, the U.S. cannot consider itself a democracy, but an empire.
I think you make several very strong points throughout your post. The exploitation of Puerto Ricans through taxation without representation, and funding of federal programs without seeing any of the benefits is cause for a serious evaluation into how democratic the United States truly is. How can we claim that the health of US democracy is at a high standard when there are people living in US territory that are not able to be a part of said democracy?
I think this ties into your point about Puerto Ricans being hesitant to vote in favor of becoming an official US state because of the loss of a national identity. I do not think that Puerto Ricans would lose much of their national identity when we consider that a lot of states within the US already have such a strong state-wide identity (Texas, for example). Because Puerto Rico is also on an island disconnected from the US, I think it will retain much of its identity because it would be somewhat disassociated with the mainland.
I would also argue that this is a big reason why Puerto Rico has struggled to benefit from democracy in the US despite being a territory. Because it is relatively disconnected from the rest of the US, mainland US citizens have a hard time identifying with its citizens and therefore are less inclined to speak on their behalf. Perhaps we should be looking for ways to allow for Puerto Rico to become more involved and connected with the rest of the US in order to start raising concerns about the state of democracy on the island.