I popped off about this on Instagram already, but here we go:

In light of the House vote for D.C. statehood, there has been an increase in think-pieces and posts about making Puerto Rico a state.

D.C. statehood is overdue, but PR statehood should be considered separately. https://twitter.com/StevePasquale/status/1276598291325767685

While I have not been a resident of the island in a long time, I know enough about the history of the island to shed some light on why a push for PR statehood on the part of mainlanders (especially of non-boricuas) is unwelcome at this point of time.

PR has held referendums on statehood in 1967, 1993, 1998, 2012, and 2017. Each one was a mess in its own right, presenting a convoluted mess of options (sometimes including but not limited to statehood, status quo, free association, independence).

Statehood never cracked 50% in the 1967, 1993, and 1998 referendums. Voter turnout ranged from 65.9% to 73.5%, so these polls are fairly representative.

The 1998 referendum had issues, but the 2012 and 2017 referendums were where things took a nosedive.

The 2012 referendum had two questions:
1) Should PR continue its territorial status, yes or no?
2) Which non-territorial option do you prefer - statehood, free association, or independence?

The second question was not contingent on whether you said “no” to the first question.

The Popular Democratic Party (PDP), one of the three major parties on the island and supporters of the status quo, recommended voting “yes” to the first question then leaving the second one blank as a form of protest.

Why? A continuation of the current status might have won overall, but statehood proponents could weaponise the result of the second question to show support for their cause.

Total turnout was 78.19% but 515,348 of the 1,878,968 ballots were invalidated due to blank responses.

Of the votes that were counted, 53.97% indicated that they did not support the status quo and 61.2% indicated statehood as their preferred non-territorial status.

Again - these numbers do not include those who left the second question blank, many of whom opposed statehood.

Despite this trash data, the PR governor and resident commissioner (both of whom were members of the pro-statehood PNP party), pushed then-President Obama to accept the results, and legislation for PR statehood was submitted to the House.

Governor-Elect García Padilla, a PDP member and critic of the process, indicates that he will convene a constituent assembly per Obama’s recommendations but never does during his governorship - however, he secures funding for another plebiscite / referendum in 2017.

The 2017 referendum comes. The options are statehood, independence / free association, and status quo.

Statehood won in a landslide with 97.18% of the vote. Why?

The ballot has poorly written. All parties who opposed statehood boycotted the vote. Voter turnout fell to 22.93%.

The pro-statehood PNP currently controls the legislature and the governorship. Despite the opposition of the PDP and PIP they are putting a one-question referendum on the ballot this year: should Puerto Rico be immediately admitted to the union as a state?

If the referendum passes, PR will pursue statehood. If the referendum fails, PR will pursue negotiations for free association or independence. The status quo is not an option on this ballot as it is no longer feasible.

This is likely the most high-stakes referendum yet.

Statehood sounds like a fix for PR as it would bring in additional federal funding, the right to vote in presidential elections, representation, higher Social Security and Medicare benefits, and the right for its government agencies and municipalities to file for bankruptcy.

That last point is critical for the island as it is $129 billion in debt but cannot declare bankruptcy unlike most US entities. Also, PR still needs billions to recover from Hurricane Maria.

While statehood might “fix” some of these problems, PR’s current situation is directly attributable to the US.

US-based vulture funds hold the majority of PR debt. PR bonds used to be very popular investments as they used to be triple-tax exempt due to the US tax code.

When tax and regulatory benefits - none of which the island has control over - were stripped from the island, companies fled. The economy was devastated. Unemployment jumped. The poverty rate is now 43.1%.

Instead of allowing PR to declare bankruptcy, Congress gave the island PROMESA - a financial oversight board of political appointees that has taken draconian austerity measures, gutting social service programs so the vulture funds can get their money.

Everything in PR is prohibitively expensive due to the Jones Act, an archaic 1917 law protecting American shipbuilders, further punishing the economy of the island.

Outside of the aforementioned economic problems and referendum fuckery, the US has caused the island pain countless times (e.g. forced sterilisation, bombings, assassinations).

I left the island during the 90s in the midst of Mano Dura, a brutal war that showed Washington the full power and potential of militarised policing and privatisation in extracting profits.

Practices that you see in the United States were honed, in part, on PR.

Puerto Rico and its residents (United States citizens) are treated today the same way that they have been treated for most of their occupation:

“Foreign, in a domestic sense”
(Downes v. Bidwell, 1901).

The US plunged PR into its current problems but fails to provide solutions unless PR relinquishes its remaining sovereignty.

Statehood is a problem to manufacture problems.

Republicans and Democrats have never cared about the island. Democrats have only cared to the extent that statehood would likely net them two senators - they are not true allies to the island.

Dragging PR into the spotlight and pushing for statehood:
1) Turns PR into another political chip this election
2) Glosses over how PR got to where it is now
3) Ignores the complex desires and will of the residents of the island

As an anti-imperialist, I have strong feelings about the topic. That being said - while I’m Boricua by birth and culture, I am no longer a resident so I cannot speak for the residents of the island as to what their future should look like.

But neither should you.

If the people of PR vote for statehood on November 3, support them. If they vote against it, support their pursuit of independence / free association. But right now, don’t inadvertently believe or promote this “panacea” of Puerto Rican statehood.