A Caribbean Island, which is currently part of the United States, believes it would be better off becoming like the Canary Islands. Puerto Rico, a territory of the US, has introduced several proposals to break away from the country and rejoin Spain, more than a century after it parted ways with the European country.
Home to 3.2 million people Puerto Rico became a US territory in 1898 after the Spanish-American War when it was ceded to the United States. The island became a part of Spain after it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. Columbus made Puerto Rico a Spanish colony by royal decree, naming it San Juan Bautista.
Spanish has remained the dominant language in Puerto Rico with Spanish being spoken by over 95% of the population and is the primary language of daily life, education, and business.
In a shocking twist a growing number of locals have expressed interest in becoming part of the European Union by rejoining Spain.
First born in 2017 political movement called ‘Adelante Reunificacionistas’ is gaining momentum for the ambitious plan for Puerto Rico to once again become part of Spain and become its 18th autonomous community.
According to its founders, about 13% of the Puerto Rican population supports the idea of reunifying with Spain. For them, it is not about nostalgia but a path towards a fairer and more prosperous future.
“Puerto Rico never wanted to separate from Spain,” says José Lara, president of the organisation.
Mr Lara believes the island has stagnated in progress since becoming a US territory and has lived more than a century “of subjugation” under an American administration that does not grant them full citizen rights.
Despite being US citizens Puerto Ricans cannot vote in presidential general elections and do not have voting representation in the United States Congress.
“We want Puerto Rico to regain the status it lost when it joined the United States,” adds Mr Lara.
According to Lara, maintaining Spanish as the main language and preserving Hispanic cultural traditions has been key in unlocking locals to believe they are better off being part of Spain.
Mr Lara says: “We want a future of progress, and we believe that future lies in Spain.