The political status within a swarm of bees

We, the American citizens residing in Puerto Rico, have lived since 1898 with the nightmare of being part of the United States but without full political rights. Any foreigner who applies for and is granted citizenship acquires all the rights of citizens of the states. So, the question arises: Why, after 128 years, do we in Puerto Rico still not have all the rights of American citizens? We need to legally define where we stand and then evaluate where we are headed.

Legally, we have been gradually assimilated into statehood. Probably the territory that has been most assimilated into statehood before even becoming one. But illegally, Congress has arbitrarily manipulated us under the guise of a judicial doctrine that, since 1901, has classified us as an unincorporated territory, when under the same legal doctrine we have qualified as an incorporated territory since we became American citizens in 1917—that is, part of the American family. However, this should not be an impediment because Congress itself can override judicial opinion, according to Article IV-2 of the Constitution, which authorizes it to dispose of the territories.

We then consider «where we are going» to achieve our full rights as American citizens. The truth is that Puerto Rican politicians are the cause of the political standstill in the advancement of our federalist rights.

First, there is the Independence Party, composed of leaders who: have no experience in the economic field; who only criticize and offer no viable alternatives; who take advantage of labor protests to project a presence to the people; and who are identified with the communist leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, whose leftist political systems have failed. Furthermore, the people have rejected them electorally, and the United States is not going to turn a territory of 3.3 million American citizens into a republic when there are 6 million more in the states.

Then there’s the leadership of the Popular Democratic Party, which insists on a political status of greater sovereignty as a territory than that of the states, wants to maintain American citizenship, and wants more federal aid. In fact, its leader, Pablo José Hernández, has presented himself to the people from Congress, reporting on his work to obtain more federal aid. He doesn’t understand that his  ...demands do not fit within the federal constitutional framework, and Congress will not grant a territory powers it cannot grant to states. They disregard the words of Rafael Hernández Colón (R.I.P.), who once stated at a conference that statehood was just around the corner. Meanwhile, the Popular Party’s insistence on the Commonwealth (ELA) model costs Puerto Rico over $20 billion due to the differential treatment resulting from not being a state; it is the only party in the world that promotes a government without the consent of the governed—specifically, the territorial status.

Consider, then, that the New Progressive Party—which advocates for statehood and holds an electoral mandate to request it from Congress—remains stagnant regarding this goal. Worse yet, the only idea their leaders can come up with is to ask Congress for a plebiscite. They fail to grasp that we are already American citizens and simply need to demand equality—statehood. This requires nothing more than asking Congress to certify Puerto Rico first as an incorporated territory and subsequently as a state. Furthermore, they do not understand that a plebiscite is a process that calls into question and jeopardizes the rights we have already secured from the Nation. It even confuses members of Congress when they evaluate Puerto Rico’s case.

After 128 years, Hispanics have 69 representatives in Congress, while Puerto Rico has none. Two Puerto Rican representatives from New York—Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio—enjoy the benefits of statehood yet have the audacity to come to Puerto Rico to support socialist independence. (A legal conflict of dual loyalties).

As we can see, the ignorant and contradictory protagonism of our political leaders has stalled our fight for equality. It is a brand of political practice that leaves no room for new moves by third parties or ideas from others. Furthermore, we cannot ignore the influence of economic interests across all parties—interests concerned only with raiding the hive to devour the honey. In short, it is like a swarm of bees that stings you if you try to take the right path toward what we still lack: a federalist government established with our consent as American citizens. And, they sting!

Gregorio Igartua De La Rosa