On 125th Anniversary of U.S. Invasion, Civil Rights Groups Urge Biden to Condemn Insular Cases Affecting Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
In the ongoing debate over the relationship between the United States and its territorial possessions, a coalition of 12 civil rights organizations sent a letter to President Joseph Biden on Tuesday, urging him to publicly condemn the Insular Cases and the colonial framework they established.
2023-08-23 13:30:31 - VI News Staff
The letter, marking the 125th anniversary of the United States' invasion of Puerto Rico, underscores the sentiment that territories such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands are effectively still colonies today.
The legal foundation of the colonial relationship between the U.S. and its territories was built on the Insular Cases, a series of Supreme Court decisions known for racist assumptions. The decisions have since been repudiated by sitting members of the Court; the letter references Justice Neil Gorsuch describing "American colonialism" as being grounded in "ugly racial stereotypes," and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who called the Insular Cases "odious and wrong."
The undersigned organizations assert that despite recent condemnation by the Justice Department, their continued reliance on these cases is perplexing. The letter to President Biden asks him to weigh in. "We, the undersigned organizations, which represent millions of United States citizens, are petitioning you to publicly condemn the racist Insular Cases and the colonial framework they established," it reads.
Furthermore, the coalition emphasizes that the U.S. territories remain subordinate to federal rule, with the Supreme Court and the Justice Department continuing to rely on and even defend the Insular Cases. The letter notes the DOJ's defense of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico as another example of relying on the Insular Cases.