Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi claims that “Puerto Rico will be the first truly Hispanic state”. The goal however is for Puerto Rico to be the latest Democrat Party state. This push comes citing following a November 2020 referendum which yielded a 52.5% majority vote in favor of statehood according to the Miami Herald.
However, the Herald doubtlessly favoring statehood, leaves out some very important details which the former governor of Puerto Rico (2005-2009) Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá wrote to The Hill about back in August: The DOJ rejected providing funding for the 2020 referendum and with good cause: it was completely illegal.
Acevedo-Vilá explains,
“The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), correctly in my view, denied providing federal income taxpayer funds to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to hold a federally-sanctioned statehood “yes” or “no” referendum because it was a misleading and fundamentally unfair proposal…In fact, it has been a long standing DOJ policy for all political options to have equal participation in any Puerto Rico status vote. That was the position established under the Obama administration, and that is the position taken by former Vice President Joe Biden.”
The Puerto Rican people when LEGALLY voting for all possible options, including statehood, independence, and a continued territorial status as a “commonwealth” directly rejected statehood at the ballot box in plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998. Acevedo-Vilá continued “In 2012 and 2017, the people rejected the entire process outright, just as DOJ recognized and is why it outright denied the government of Puerto Rico funding for the vote.”
The Obama administration opposed this, Joe Biden opposed this the former Governor of Puerto Rico opposed this (and she IS NOT Republican friendly), so how could the Biden-Harris Regime and Democrat-Socialist Congress possibly move forward?
Forget the Former GOVERNOR of Puerto Rico, Darren Soto Says So.
Apparently Florida Congressman Darren Soto didn’t get the memo, and neither did Puerto Rico’s non-voting Representative Jennifer Gonzalez, they just sponsored the The Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act.
104 years ago, Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship under the #JonesAct, yet they are still treated as 2nd class citizens to this day.#PRStatehood is the next step to ensuring equality for the island. Proud to join @RepDarrenSoto & @RepJenniffer to fight for #PRStatehood. pic.twitter.com/ifEGK6Vvq2
— Rep. Ritchie Torres (@RepRitchie) March 2, 2021
AOC And Her Democratic-Socialists Say: No.
According to Axios though, even AOC thinks this is the wrong path,
“Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez are pushing ahead with a bill in Congress that would let Puerto Rico decide its future — a proposal threatening Gov. Pedro Pierluisi’s determination to pursue statehood for the island.”
“The principled position — especially for the head of that colonizing power — is to say that people should have a process of self-determination and to not put your thumb on the scale of one direction or another,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
About that Nov 2020 vote where statehood won with 52%? Yeah, even Velázquez says its BS. “This plebiscite that was conducted by the New Progressive Party was a political trick to entice people to come out to the polls,” Velázquez said. She said that during her virtual meeting with Pierluisi, he told her he’d be in D.C. more often, lobbying for statehood. “It’s highly suspect when anyone is trying to prescribe an outcome for millions of people,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
“We have to think about how ridiculous this is that the entire future and status of a colony of the United States should just be determined by a simple ballot referendum.”
Democrat Leaders Are Divided On Puerto Rico
The establishment Democrat party is obsessed with capturing enough votes to stay in power are pushing for Puerto Rico statehood with everything they have, but they are severely alienating the Progressive Democrat Socialist wing led by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Cortez and Co.’s anti-colonial hang ups are making statehood a poison pill. If Schumer and Pelosi try to ram this one through they could be looking at a serious challenge to their own power WITHIN THE PARTY.
“It is important for members of Congress to get educated on this issue and know we cannot play political football with Puerto Rico,” Velázquez said.