‘I believe in independence’: Puerto Rico’s young people fighting for sovereignty from the US
Summary
Young people in Puerto Rico are actively protesting for independence from the United States. They oppose a luxury hotel project that they believe will harm the environment and highlight their broader demand for Puerto Rico to become a fully sovereign nation.Key Facts
- On April 21, 2025, protesters demonstrated at a Manhattan hotel lobby against the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s project in Puerto Rico.
- The hotel group plans to develop a $2 billion luxury hotel and residential area called Esencia in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
- Activists say the project will destroy over 1,500 acres of protected land with important archaeological sites.
- Puerto Rico became a U.S. commonwealth in 1952; residents have U.S. citizenship but cannot vote in presidential elections or have senators.
- The pro-independence group Juventud Unida por la Independencia (JUPI) was founded in 2024 and is driven by young people.
- Support for independence has grown after Hurricane Maria in 2017, which caused widespread damage, many deaths, and mass migration to the U.S. mainland.
- Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny has promoted the independence movement by displaying its flag during the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.
- The movement aims for economic self-sufficiency and control over trade and foreign affairs, seeing sovereignty as a way to improve issues like the island’s power grid.
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