Rep. Luis Gutierrez has introduced legislation to hold a new plebiscite in Puerto Rico that recognizes “the U.S. territory’s sovereign nationhood” and enables voters to choose between independence or free association as the island’s new political status.
“The colonial relationship with the United States has never been starker,” the Congressman explained. “It is time to return sovereignty back to the Puerto Rican people.”
The legislation, which has no cosponsors, was referred to the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources.
But that doesn’t mean that it didn’t gain any attention. At Change.org, a political action website, 2,083 people have already signed a petition asking Gutierrez to resign from Congress. The petition states that Congressman Luis Gutierrez should resign for: (1) Supporting Oscar López Rivera’s Freedom with the help of activists, (2) Supporting Independence for Puerto Rico instead of supporting Statehood, (3) betraying Puerto Ricans who have supported statehood and not representing the island, and (4) proposing a referendum of independence and free association excluding statehood.
Gutierrez, who represents a congressional district in the State of Illinois, introduced the bill after the Puerto Rico legislature passed and the governor signed into law a contrary proposal providing for a vote between statehood and sovereignty on June 11. If voters choose sovereignty there will be a second vote between independence and free association.
In a 2012 plebiscite vote, independence gained less than 6% of the votes. Independence has never received more than six percentage of the votes in any status referendum on the Island.
When asked by El Nuevo Dia why he had left statehood out of the bill, Gutierrez pointed out that an up or down vote on statehood had already been proposed (HR 727 in 2016 and HR 260 in 2017). Asked, “What if statehood wins in June’s referendum?” Gutierrez had a surprising answer.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Independence is an unalienable right.”
Independence is not a right or option available to the fifty states.
A different petition at Moveon.org supports the Gutierrez proposal. The petition states: “Puerto Rico has been under US colonial rule for more than 115 years and its people have never been able to vote for President nor enjoy equal representation in US Congress. To make matters even worse, in November of 2012, the people of Puerto Rico rejected the current colonial relationship with the US in a referendum and US Congress IGNORED the results while Wall Street continues to exploit the island under the current colonial political model. ”
The petition continues, “we whole heartedly SUPPORT Congressman Luis Gutierrez’s recently filed bill HR 900 that would provide FREEDOM to Puerto Rico as a free and sovereign country. It is time to put an end to the corporate exploitation of Puerto Rico. SUPPORT HR 900 by becoming a Co-Sponsor!”
There are 1,375 signatories on the Moveon petition.
It’s no surprise “Move On.org” supports the Guttierrez bill & support denying Puerto Ricans a choice on Statehood.
MOVE ON IS A FAR LEFT SOCIALIST ORGANIZATION.
Puerto Rico’s Independence movement has always and continues to be rooted in socialism.
Your incorrect Luis. The Independence movement goes back to the late 1800s, way before there ever was a “Leftist” ideology. In fact the most popular Puerto Rican Independence Movement was that of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the early to mid 1900s and they were hardly leftist. Especially when you take into account that many of their members owned properties and businesses. . However, the issue of being a lefty or a righty is irrelevant to what has happened to Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican People since 1898. This is when a plebiscite for Nation hood or Union hood should have taken place; right after the U.S. took possession of Puerto Rico. At that time 99.99 % of the people in Puerto Rico would have chosen Nation Hood because they wanted to remain Puerto Rican. Fast forward 118 yrs. and to everyone’s surprise there still exist a Puerto Rican Nationality and that is the issue at hand. Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico that support statehood and not the non-Puerto Ricans living there are under the impression that Union hood/State hood would not change or challenge the culture and language of the Puerto Rican people and that is the furthest thing from the truth. Personally, as my parents, who left Puerto Rico in 1948, love living in one of the 50 Sovereign States of the U.S. and they assimilated to the American Culture and English language. My parents understood the responsibilities of real American Citizenship. The question is, will the Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico understand that same responsibility of real citizenship that will be upon them when they cast a vote for statehood ? I don’t think so and it would not be fair to us in the U.S to undertake the dilemma of a Taiwan within our union or worse a perpetual northern Ireland. No Sir, you can vote all you want, but we decide who comes into our union, not you.
My Ilander’s understood responsibilities of real American Citizenship. after over 380 some years with the Spanish use and abuse and misery. In 1917 we became American’s Citizen, and fight in W.W.1.,W.W.2.,KOREA,VIETNAN,IRAK,AFGANISTAN,KOSOVO you name it ! We figth it ! And now we going for STATEHOOD ! We pay our dues ! And we are ready for !