Foreign or domestic: Puerto Rico’s fight for decolonization
Since coming into leadership, President Donald Trump has put forth a large effort to disenfranchise Latinos in the United States. Since his first week in office, the Trump administration has antagonized the migrant and immigrant communities with extra funding for border patrol and ICE raids. In a recent executive order the president established English as the official language of the U.S.—which is not only dismantling a Clinton-era statute which required government agencies to provide language assistance to non-English speakers, it is also enforcing a national language which had never previously been dictated in our nation’s history.
Last week, the Daily Mail reported on a drafted executive order which would release Puerto Rico from U.S. ownership. The seven page document outlines a 21 month timeline to end birthright citizenship to Islanders and a 20 year plan for political and economic transition from the current status of Commonwealth to an independent nation. The order argues that Puerto Rico’s dependence on U.S. finances will continue to gross over $1 trillion in the next 50 years if the government does not cut ties with the Caribbean island. “Rather than perpetuating indefinite territorial dependence, this approach eliminates wasteful spending…this solution ensures Puerto Rico’s successful transition to sovereignty while upholding an America First policy,” it states.
This drafted executive order isn’t the only thing bringing attention to Puerto Rico lately. Reggaeton superstar, Bad Bunny, released his latest album earlier this year, titled DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS (DTMF, or “I Should Have Taken More Photos”). The album is a love letter to the artist’s homeland which highlights the cultural richness and societal complexities. Blending traditional Latin sounds with lyrics that address themes of identity, resilience, and the island’s political struggles, Bad Bunny celebrates Puerto Rican heritage while critiquing issues like colonialism, economic hardship, and natural disaster recovery after Hurricane Maria in 2017. DTMF serves as both a tribute to the island’s vibrant culture and a call for awareness and empowerment, resonating deeply with Puerto Ricans and global audiences alike.
Photo by Ana Toledo on Unsplash
Puerto Rico is having a mainstream moment in the U.S. media which is long overdue. This reflects a deeper, long-standing conversation about the island’s political status and identity. While Bad Bunny’s album amplifies the cultural pride and struggles of Puerto Ricans, the drafted executive order to potentially transition the island to independence has reignited debates about the ongoing colonial rule of the United States. These influences tap into a centuries-old independence movement.
As the island grapples with economic hardship, natural disasters, and political marginalization, the independence movement has gained renewed attention, offering a vision of self-determination that resonates with those who see statehood or the status quo as inadequate solutions. This moment in the media is not just about headlines—it is about the enduring fight for Puerto Rico’s future and the voices, both artistic and political, that are shaping this path forward.
A short history of injustice
For over 125 years, Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States. While most Americans are taught that colonial rule ended after the Revolutionary War in the 18th century, Puerto Ricans have been subjected to American colonialism since 1898. In an effort to win the Spanish-American War, the U.S. invaded the Spanish stronghold of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since the war ended, the U.S. has continued to hold Puerto Rico as a colony, offering birthright citizenship in 1917.
Before this, Puerto Rico had been colonized by Christopher Columbus and Spain as far back as the 1490s. Native Taino peoples were slaughtered nearly to extinction, similar to the fate of all other Native American tribes. By the mid-1500s the native population had dwindled to a few thousand and in the next 50 years that number would be closer to zero. The Spanish colonizers began using the port of San Juan in the West African slave trade, bringing nearly 10 thousand African slaves to work alongside the natives as the backbone of the sugar industry. By 1865 the number of enslaved peoples reached its peak when 27 percent of the Island’s inhabitants were non-White mixtures of West African, Taino, or “mulatto” races.
Cuban historian and professor emeritus of Anthropology, Jorge Duany. Photo courtesy of Florida International University.
Cuban-born Puerto Rico historian, Jorge Duany, spent most of his childhood in Puerto Rico. Now working at the Florida International University in Miami, Florida, Duany notes that even after a century of U.S. occupation, Puerto Rico remains a Spanish-speaking island of Afro-Spanish-Native Caribbean descent.
“Nearly 65 percent of all persons of Puerto Rican origin live in the fifty states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia,” Duany said.
Throughout Puerto Rico’s history of colonization there has been major fluctuation in the island’s population. Importing and exporting human beings in the slave trade, forced emigration from failing economic systems, and displacement from modern gentrification have all led to what Duany and others call a revolving door of inhabitants.
“Few other countries in the Caribbean region—or even the entire world—have experienced such massive and sustained displacements of people over such a long span of time,” said Duany. “Can the nation even be defined as a singular territory, birthplace, citizenship, language, culture, and identity?”
Today, many Americans are unaware of the realities facing Puerto Rico and see the Island only as a tropical vacation destination. In 2025 residents of Puerto Rico do not have the power to vote for president, are taxed at the same rate as states, and face the worst economic crisis of any U.S. territory. In fact, when compared to the poorest state in the union, Mississippi, Puerto Rico is twice as poor—the average annual salary in Mississippi being around $54 thousand and Puerto Rico being around $25 thousand.
Duany spent his childhood and early adulthood on the Island before facing these economic difficulties. “Like many residents of Puerto Rico, I was compelled to leave the Island searching for better professional opportunities amid a profound economic crisis,” he said.
Injustices facing Puerto Rico have been ongoing for well over 500 years. Finally, young Islanders are beginning to fight against colonial powers with a growing independence movement.
The rise of the independence movement
For generations of Puerto Ricans there has been arguments for changes in the Island’s colonial status. The two major options are to push for full independence from the United States or, oppositely, being given statehood status, joining the union as the 51st state. Historically, older generations have felt positively about statehood, considering it the only option for economic prosperity if the colony is given the same government funding as other incorporated states. However, support for statehood has significantly fallen since 2017. An October 2024 poll by the Island’s largest newspaper, El Nuevo Día, showed a nearly 50/50 split compared to the 2017 vote in which 97% of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood.
Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora (BUDPR), or United Puerto Ricans of the Diaspora, is a national nonprofit organization focused on Puerto Rican decolonization. BUDPR argues that independence would lead to political justice, cultural preservation, economic prosperity, and freedom from discrimination. Pro-independence voters see statehood as a cause for assimilation into U.S. culture, which is often seen in a negative light. For example, because English is now the national language, statehood would enforce English as the official language of an island of 95 percent Spanish speakers. Additionally, the U.S. is historically notorious for structural racism, seen in the treatment of Native American peoples, anti-Latino sentiment, and the mass incarceration of people of color.
The advocacy group believes that the fight for PR’s sovereignty is more urgent than ever in the face of the Trump administration. “In a perfect world, Puerto Rico needs an inclusive, democratic, Puerto Rican-led leadership for independence. Any process towards independence should be more orderly than a simple executive order,” said BUDPR president, Alberto Medina.
Boricuas Unidos en la Diaspora president, Alberto Medina.
Born and raised on the Island and now based in Colorado, Medina has supported independence is entire life and has always seen American’s lack of interest in Puerto Rico as a “major injustice.” He has mixed feelings about the drafted executive order due to the way it eludes to wasteful government spending. He accused the U.S. government of resisting “sending money to poor brown people” when the majority of funding is for public benefits like Social Security, Medicaid, and veteran’s services—all of which are also available to incorporated states.
Medina believes the latest rise in the independence movement is due to an increase of young people taking action. Compared to their older counterparts, young voters are more educated, globally connected, and less influenced by the historical status quo. The latest generation of voters in Puerto Rico are commonly referred to as “the crisis gen” due to enormous economic, environmental, and political crises plaguing the Island over the last fifteen years.
Medina has heard from young people who feel they can’t afford to begin a family and grew up hearing that independence was a crazy notion. He believes they have less fear from FBI persecution than their grandparents and their anti-colonialism sentiment is rising. “They’re saying ‘things aren’t working, we need a different alternative,’” Medina said. “[This is] a change that feels big enough to meet the moment.”
Additionally, young Puerto Ricans remember the way the first Trump administration treated their nation in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. In 2017, President Trump sent rolls of paper towel flying into the air to a crowd of Islanders who had been devistated by the natural disaster. Over 90% of residents were without power and massive flooding had major infrastructure damages to roads, businesses, and homes. Additionally, in a televised statement, the president denied that Hurricane Maria was a “real catastrophe” compared to past tropical storms like Katrina. Now, the generation who watched Trump disrespect their parents have grown into voters with strong voices for independence. For too long the U.S. government has abandoned the Puerto Rican people in times of crisis.
BUDPR finds inspiration in voting habits of U.S. young people. During the 2024 election cycle, Michigan was a popular battleground state for both parties, giving young anti-war activists political sway as a large portion of voters declared they were “uncommitted” as Democrats failed to take a solid pro-Palestine stance. Because of Israel’s colonization of Palestine and subsequent genocide, young people withheld their votes.
The fight for Puerto Rican independence from their colonizers should be as hot button a topic as the atrocities in the Middle East, Medina believes. “Law makers need consequences for ignoring Puerto Rico,” said Medina. “This is more than just a Puerto Rican movement, this is about what your country is doing to my country.”
Diaspora experience and pro-independence
“The biggest thing is to take this on as a cause with a clear and driven voice and respect for the Puerto Rican leaders of the movement,” said Medina. He and BUDPR believe the independence movement needs more support from the U.S. diaspora and American non-Puerto Ricans. The advocacy group believes the more support the independence movement gains from within the continental U.S., the more likely the issue is to be seen by those with the power to decolonize.
Chicago-born member of the Puerto Rican diaspora, Eddie Olivera, is a third generation Midwesterner who traced his lineage back to pre-colonial native peoples. He is at once proud of his Taino heritage while also struggling to feel Puerto Rican enough.
Charlie Trumbull and partner, Eddie Olivera.
Growing up primarily in Dearborn, Michigan, Olivera struggled to fit in and was often misidentified as Arab. He has found it hard in non-Latino spaces to find ways to showcase his heritage while also feeling the pressure to assimilate. “Being Puerto Rican is inherently a multitude of different ethnicities and it can be difficult to celebrate heritage while living in a society that highlights differences,” Olivera said.
This experience can be highlighted by his family never teaching him to speak Spanish, further dividing him from his Island roots. Since 1980, the number of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora who speak Spanish at home has fallen from 85% to about 40%, a trend that is regularly noticed in immigrant descendants as cultural assimilation takes place. “English inexorably replaces other languages spoken,” Duany said. “Usually within three generations.”
In fact, Olivera’s family never spoke of Puerto Rico’s history or culture. “They speak of it like Michiganders talk about ‘going up north’ rather than as a homeland,” said Olivera. Most of what he knows about Puerto Rico today has been gained through independent research into his own culture and history.
While Olivera has never been to Puerto Rico, himself, he feels an attachment to the Island he finds nearly inexplicable. He believes that his blood flows like the waves on the beaches he’s never seen. “It’s the place that I come from, but not a place that I live,” Olivera said. “It is, yet is not home.”
Since the 2024 election cycle, Olivera has kept his distance from political news and had not heard of the drafted executive order. However, he is a music lover and was excited ahead of Bad Bunny’s latest album release. When he first heard the lyrics of the DTMF title track, he became hesitant to watch the short film released alongside the album. The film features an elderly Puerto Rican man and his friend, Concho—an animated tree frog native to the Island—as they look through photos of what Puerto Rico was like before the gentrification seen after an influx of American businesses set up.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has consistently used his platform to advocate for social and political issues affecting his homeland. Through his music, public statements, and actions—such as wearing protest slogans and supporting grassroots movements—Bad Bunny aligns himself with progressive causes, amplifying calls for justice, empowerment, and decolonization. “He has overcome traditional language barriers to reach a global audience and is a source of pride for many [Puerto Ricans],” Duany said.
Ahead of the 2024 elections, the rapper bought billboards to advertise voting against statehood and supporting the progressive independence candidate, Juan Dalmau. In an effort to boost the local economy, the first leg of the DTMF tour is exclusive to Puerto Rican venues and fans.
When it comes to aligning with the independence movement, Olivera often feels that he may not be “Puerto Rican enough” to have a say. He is regularly inspired by the work of Bad Bunny and other advocates he sees online, often sharing their posts and commenting his support. Similar to Medina, Olivera believes the native Islanders should lead with their voices while non-Puerto Ricans and the U.S. diaspora offer support from the sidelines.
The U.S. Census Bureau forecasts that the population decline in Puerto Rico will continue, potentially losing another 1.1 million residents by 2050. Due to it’s current status as a colony, Puerto Rico is facing genocidal realities such as 40 percent of residents living in poverty, higher education facilities losing funding and shutting down, and food insecurities.
Olivera, Duany, and Medina all agree that nothing will be done about Puerto Rican’s status quickly. As Medina pointed out, Republican lawmakers are anti-statehood for Puerto Rico due to the influx of Democratic voters the added population would bring. Duany mentions in his book, Puerto Rico: What Everyone Needs to Know, that a Puerto Rican state would also add two Democratic senators. The lack of support from Republicans makes statehood a non-starter, while the lack of support from Democrats forces the independence movement to become louder in order to gain support.
Organizations like BUDPR are gaining momentum across the diaspora as more people of Puerto Rican descent find the message on social media. As Puerto Rico stands at the crossroads of cultural celebration and political self-determination, the voices of artists like Bad Bunny and the growing calls for independence remind us that the island’s story is far from over.
This moment is not just about reclaiming identity or redefining political status—it’s about envisioning a future where Puerto Rico can thrive on its own terms. Whether through music or policy, the fight for sovereignty and decolonialization continues to inspire a global audience, proving that Puerto Rico’s resilience and spirit are unshakeable.
