Aponte to Mamdani: PR voters have chosen statehood, not independence

Rep. José Aponte Hernández (www.camara.pr.gov)

By THE STAR STAFF

At-large Rep. José Aponte Hernández sent a letter this week to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanding that he “respect the will of the people” who have expressed their support for statehood for Puerto Rico.

“The people of Puerto Rico want statehood, not independence, as you … erroneously stated in a recent comment about the political future of our island,” Aponte wrote. “Mr. Mamdani, you may wish for Puerto Rico to separate from the United States and become an independent nation, but that is not what the vast majority of Puerto Ricans want.”

“Mr. Mamdani, in a democracy, it is the people who decide who their elected leaders are and, in the particular case of our island, what political relationship we, the American citizens who live in Puerto Rico, want to have with our nation, the United States of America,” the veteran pro-statehood lawmaker continued. “Becoming the 51st state would eliminate the structural inequalities inherent in our territorial status and provide Puerto Ricans with equal representation in Congress, ensuring our voices are heard in decisions that directly affect us. Statehood would also pave the way for investment, creating jobs and fostering innovation. Economic development is not just an aspiration for Puerto Ricans; it is a necessity. For decades, our island has struggled with economic stagnation, exacerbated by natural disasters, a severe debt crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly when or where the New York mayor made the statement to which the veteran New Progressive Party lawmaker referred. Mamdani has said in past statements that he strongly supports self-determination for Puerto Rico, advocating for the island to freely choose its own political status, according to a recent news report. As a democratic socialist, he aligns with movements backing binding, decolonial processes that allow the residents of Puerto Rico to decide their future without external interference or imposed colonial constraints, the report said.

Since becoming mayor, Mamdani has found himself at odds with Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, who is retiring this year. Mamdani is backing New York Assembly member Claire Valdez, a fellow democratic socialist, to succeed Velázquez in the District 12 (parts of Brooklyn and Queens) seat, while Velázquez has formally endorsed Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president.

Aponte, who chairs the Committee on Federal and Veterans Affairs in the island House of Representatives also pointed out to Mamdani that on Nov. 5, 2024, U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico participated in a plebiscite, a free and democratic exercise that consulted voters about their preferences regarding the island’s political status, in accordance with Public Law 165-2020. The referendum presented three options: statehood, direct independence, and independence through a free association treaty.

Statehood, Aponte noted in the letter, prevailed with 58.61% of the votes (620,782), free association obtained 29.57% (313,259) and independence only 11.82% (125,171).

“The same pattern occurred in the 2020, 2017 and 2012 political status plebiscites, where statehood won, convincingly, every time and independence finished a distant last,” the former House speaker wrote.