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A growing number of locals in Puerto Rico want to re-join Spain
A Caribbean island under United States control is envisioning a future more in line with the Canary Islands.
Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, has put forward several proposals to cut ties with the U.S. and realign with Spain, over a hundred years after it said goodbye to its former European ruler.
Home to 3.2 million people, Puerto Rico came under U.S. rule in 1898 following the Spanish-American War, transitioning from Spanish governance established by Christopher Columbus in 1493, who named it San Juan Bautista under a Royal decree.
Despite the shift in power, Spanish has firmly remained the primary language of Puerto Rico, spoken by over 95% of inhabitants and serving as the main language for daily interactions, education and business.
Part of the Puerto Rican population is now showing interest in joining the European Union by reuniting with Spain. The "Adelante Reunificacionistas" political movement, born in 2017, is gaining momentum with its audacious plan for Puerto Rico to reintegrate with Spain as its 18th autonomous community.
The founders of the movement claim that approximately 13% of Puerto Ricans support this idea, viewing it as a pathway to a more prosperous future.
"Puerto Rico never wanted to separate from Spain," the organization's president Jose Lara said.
Lara argues that since becoming a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico has experienced over a century "of subjugation" and stagnation under American governance that hasn't granted them complete citizenship rights.
Even though they are U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans can't vote in presidential general elections and lack voting representation in Congress.
"We want Puerto Rico to regain the status it lost when it joined the United States," Lara said.
He said emphasizing Spanish as the primary language and preserving Hispanic cultural traditions are key in persuading locals about the benefits of reintegrating with Spain.
"We want a future of progress, and we believe that future lies in Spain," he said. (The Mirror US)
