Photo by Stephanie Klepacki on Unsplash
Puerto Rico’s non-voting Resident Commissioner in Congress, Pablo José Hernández Rivera, (D-PR), introduced a new bill on June 10 to address Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory. The day after the bill’s introduction, Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-7), issued the following joint statement opposing the new bill:
“Yesterday, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico co-opted our legislation and introduced a bill that includes an option to maintain the current status of the island as a colony. Over the last three congresses, more and more members have come to acknowledge that the current colonial condition of Puerto Rico is a moral stain on our nation’s history that must be addressed. Our country cannot claim to be a bastion of democracy as we continue to hold colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The Hernandez bill calls for a plebiscite in Puerto Rico in which voters can choose from among four options: statehood, independence, independence with a Compact of Free Association, and “Commonwealth.” The bill argues that under “the current Commonwealth relationship,” Puerto Rico “has a measure of autonomy comparable to that possessed by the States.” The bill additionally asserts that “Puerto Rico exercises autonomy over fiscal and economic policy.”
In Puerto Rico v. Sanchez Valle (2016), the U.S. Supreme Court Puerto Rico ruled that Puerto Rico does not enjoy a level of autonomy comparable to that of states like New York, nor does Puerto Rico exercise autonomy over its own fiscal and economic policy. The Court declared that Puerto Rico does not share in the States’ “power, dignity, and authority” and is not on “equal footing” with them.
As the Supreme Court has stated and Congress has demonstrated, “the current Commonwealth relationship” of Puerto Rico is not one of autonomy; there is no sovereignty. It is sometimes painful to acknowledge, but as Reps. Ocasio-Cortez and Velázquez attest, there is no denying “the colonial character of the Commonwealth.”
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.