The Weekly News has coined a term for the vision of Puerto Rican independence being promoted by the clever stateside advocates who managed to persuade a British tabloid that Congress was “pressuring” the president to declare Puerto Rico independent. They’re calling it “Cadillac independence.”
What’s Cadillac independence?
Separatists often describe a form of independence in which the United States continues to fund Puerto Rico at the current level or better. “While independence would entail the loss of billions in federal transfers,” says Current Affairs, “that could be compensated by an economic transition plan as a form of reparations for more than a century of colonialism. The most recent status bill introduced in Congress envisions a likely decades-long period of continued block grants to Puerto Rico.”
Reparations are a very popular idea among supporters of independence. How much would the United States pay in reparations? Perhaps as much as Spain paid for its 400 years of colonial rule. Or the amount the United States gave to the Philippines in reparations when they granted the islands independence. Or the amount Britain paid to the American colonies after the American Revolution. The totals were identical in each case: zero.
The fact is, nations have very little motivation to provide reparations to former colonies. The United States might do this for Puerto Rico, but the people arguing for it have yet to give any reason that the U.S. might be moved to do so.
Instead, the focus is on the reasons that Puerto Rico deserves financial compensation sufficient to support the cost of independence. Javier Hernandez wrote, “The United States owes Puerto Rico reparations for 125 years of colonization, human rights violations, and economic exploitation. Renowned legal scholars assert that international law supports Puerto Rico’s right to reparations based on the UN Principles and Guidelines on human rights violations.”
However, he goes on to say, “Recognizing the improbability of the United States and Spain providing such extensive monetary reparations, alternative forms of support and ‘compensatory financing’ must be considered. These measures can facilitate Puerto Rico’s transition to national sovereignty and economic independence.” He then outlines all the steps Spain and the U.S. could take, from debt cancellation to economic compensation, free trade agreements, and financial support. At no point is there any discussion of benefits to the U.S. (or Spain) for these actions. The implication is that Congress would feel sorry if Puerto Rico voted to become independent, and would then just hand over the money needed to establish the new Republic of Puerto Rico.
Liberation is more honest. “The greatest act of solidarity we can demonstrate to the Puerto Rican people is to create a multi-national socialist revolution in the United States – a revolution that would recognize Puerto Rico’s independence and pay reparations for the historical injustices,” they propose. “The fight for socialism cannot be separated from a militant struggle for independence.”
Well-funded independence?
Cadillac independence, then, is a well-funded form of independence. Promoted largely by people living in states who therefore would not have to face the hardships that would come with independence, this is a vision of independence that doesn’t include figuring out how to pay for defense, services like mail and weather forecasting, law enforcement, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and all the other expenses a sovereign nation must undertake.
It is not at all likely that Puerto Rico will choose independence. Separatists have recently been rhapsodizing about the exciting new growth of separatism, but the truth is that — even though the votes for independence in 2024’s status vote were much higher than in previous referenda — they only came to 12% of the votes. That is a tiny fraction. Statehood took 58%.
But imagine for a moment that Puerto Rico did choose independence. That would be rejection of the United States. Puerto Rico would become a foreign country. We are now asked to imagine that Congress, hearing this news, would pony up large sums of money to provide a comfortable transition for the former territory.
Instead, Congress might provide some foreign aid. For example, the United States provided neighboring Haiti with $437,668,689 in 2022. Hernandez believes that a reasonable amount for reparations would be $100,000 for each person, including both people on the Island and Puerto Ricans living in states. Compare that with the actual amount given to a Caribbean foreign country.
By the way, Haiti was the first country in the region to gain independence. Rather than receiving reparations from France, they had to pay $21 billion to their former colonial owners. They gained independence in 1825 and only succeeded in paying off the debt in 1947.
We are not saying that the United States shouldn’t fund a lavish independence for Puerto Rico. We are only saying that the lessons of history show that it is very unlikely.
It is also very unlikely that Congress would allow the citizens of a new Republic of Puerto Rico to have nationwide dual citizenship or otherwise to maintain their U.S. citizenship. That’s another of the tenets of Cadillac Independence, and once again there is no benefit for the United States suggested. Instead, separatists say that it is “the least the United States can do.”
Real independence
Just as “enhanced commonwealth” is a fantasy version of territorial status, Cadillac independence is a fantasy version of independence. Its advocates, whose current plan seems to be to pretend that the independence movement is growing, that Congress is lobbying for independence, and that the United States will pay for it, have not bothered to come up with any practical plan for economic self-sufficiency for Puerto Rico.
Unlike enhanced commonwealth and Cadillac independence, statehood is a practical plan for the future of Puerto Rico. The people of Puerto Rico and the people of the United States are in favor. 32 territories have already become states. Congress can admit Puerto Rico with a simple majority vote. Reach out to your congressional representatives and let them know that you want the to get on the right side of history and support statehood for Puerto Rico.
One response
“Cadillac independence” is legitimately one of the dumbest policies I’ve ever heard.
“We want independence, but you pay for everything for us.”
It’s like a five year old brat who demands their parents buy everything for them.