As Puerto Rico grapples with crippling debt and double-digit unemployment, a far-fetched idea to tackle the US territory’s economic woes may be gaining modest traction – one that would see Puerto Rico break off from the United States to re-join Spain.“By returning to Spain, we’ll have autonomy,” said José Nieves Seise, who in 2013 founded the group Reunification of Puerto Rico with Spain. “With autonomy Puerto Rico could have sufficient powers to boost the economy and attract foreign investment.”
| You had autonomy the last 110 years. You were a commonwealth, not a state. Most folks on the mainland couldn't find you on a map and didn't care what you did. And you had Uncle Sugar helping out for the longest time. But sure, trade us in for Spain. Maybe they'll send you some Syrian refugees... |
| There was an independence movement in 1898, so at least some Puerto Ricans didn't want Spanish rule. But the U.S. has said at several points that you can go your own way if you want. Feel free. |
The idea is a long shot, as it relies on contesting the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which laid out the framework for the island to change from Spanish to American hands. Still, the group met with Spanish officials at the consulate in Puerto Rico last year.
“Our goal was just to let them know that our movement exists and that it’s something serious.” This month Nieves Seise plans to send a letter to Spanish King Felipe VI, introducing the monarch to the movement.
Nieves Seise decided to launch the group out of frustration, after repeated calls to address Puerto Rico’s status were ignored by the US. A 2012 referendum found 54% of the island’s 3.5 million inhabitants favoured changing the island’s current territorial status. The financial crisis has also injected renewed vigour into the campaigns pushing for American statehood for Puerto Rico and those pushing for independence.
Nieves Seise rejected these rival campaigns, denying claims by critics who argue that Puerto Rico had fewer freedoms under Spanish rule. Instead he touted the economic advantages of joining Spain, arguing that benefits such as coming under the EU umbrella would allow Puerto Rico to move forward after nearly a decade of economic stagnation.
The island would also be afforded political rights currently denied to them by the US, he said. “Right now, we can’t vote for the president of the United States, we have limited representation.”
| Who says you'd have a vote for the Spanish prime minister? |
As Spain struggles to shake off the lingering effects of a double-dip recession, Pons Rodríguez dismissed concerns that taking in Puerto Rico and its $72bn worth of public debt could dampen Spain’s tepid economic recovery. “This shouldn’t be an impediment to working together,” he said. “The more united we are, the better chance we have of overcoming issues like debt.”
To date the movement has not received any kind of formal response from Spanish authorities. Recently Puerto Rican Iván Arrache called on Spain to take action. “Are they going to leave us to do all the work ourselves?,” he wrote in El Diario de La Marina. “It takes two to tango.”
Spain stands to benefit from taking Puerto Rico into its fold, he said. “Don’t they appreciate the impact this would have against Catalan separatism and how this would help foster the idea of a united Spain?”
After two years of nurturing the movement in Puerto Rico, he said, it was time to establish whether there is any official interest in the idea from Spain. “Spain needs to give us a token of good faith, even if it’s just symbolic,” he said. “Many of us here are ready to give our all. All we’re asking for is something from the other side.”