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In New Trump Era, Diaspora Group Calls for Puerto Rico Independence
Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora issued a Friday statement saying Trump’s return proves independence is Puerto Rico’s only path forward
Julio Ricardo Varela
February 03, 2025
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(View of Puerto Rico taken during ISS Expedition 17/Public Domain)
It's Monday evening on the East Coast, marking the start of The Latino Newsletter's 34th week as an outlet. I’m writing to 1,067 subscribers and a growing social audience of more than 13,000 profiles (and counting). Today, we also received another $1,000 donation.
It has been hard to take a moment and focus on writing with so much breaking news dominating U.S. media.
Still, some stories not really being covered deserve attention. One of them is a statement released Friday by Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora (BUDPR). The diasporic group has a strong social media presence and a highly engaged community. The statement argues that the first weeks of the Trump administration have been dangerous for Puerto Rico, to the point that full independence is the island-colony’s best option.
The statement’s headline minces no words: The Trump Presidency Highlights the Consequences of Colonialism and the Need for Puerto Rican Independence.
It then starts, “As we expected, the first few days of President Trump’s second term have been an unmitigated disaster for Puerto Ricans on the island and in the United States.”
Later in the statement, the group says:
At this moment, the fight for Puerto Rico’s sovereignty is more urgent than ever. We can no longer afford to pretend that the United States will grant Puerto Rico statehood—which it has refused to do for 126 years and which is vehemently opposed by Republicans and ignored by Democrats. And even if Puerto Rico became a state, it would remain at the mercy of racist leaders and discriminatory policies that harm our people.
We can no longer afford to be neutral about Puerto Rico: to support “decolonization” or “self-determination” while staying silent on how the island’s colonial status should end. This approach has failed and has only served to further the island’s subjugation.
Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora (BUDPR), and our allies on the island and in the United States, will continue to lead that fight. Our message is loud and clear:
The only thing that can save Puerto Rico from Trump is independence.
The only thing that can save Puerto Rico from colonialism is independence.
No matter where you stand on the issue of Puerto Rico, The Latino Newsletter will always publish the work and words of organizations who are elevating the contentious debate over the island’s perpetual history of colonialism.
That story —and the dialogue around it— cannot disappear at this moment. It’s time for Puerto Ricans to engage with each other, not talk over one another.
Read the full statement by BUDPR here.
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What We’re Reading
Thousands Protest in Los Angeles: From the Los Angeles Times, “Thousands of demonstrators rallied in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday and shut down a section of the 101 Freeway to protest President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and his aggressive deportation policies.” On Monday, The Latino Newsletter went out to cover the second day of demonstrations. We will share more in our February 4 edition.
U.S. Ends TPS for Venezuelans: As per the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), “On Feb. 1, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem decided to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the 2023 designation for Venezuela.TPS and related benefits associated with the 2023 designation will no longer be in effect starting 60 days after publication of the termination notice in the Federal Register.”
A Tale of Tariffs and Borders: In the ever-moving world of Trump news, all proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada have now been delayed one month.
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder and publisher of The Latino Newsletter.
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