I am cheering the Democratic National Convention, but not necessarily its platform on Puerto Rico

I can feel the spark of a resurging Democratic Party from Chicago to Pennsylvania as I watch the national convention from Philadelphia. As the first Latina elected to Philadelphia City Council, I know from experience how hard it is for women to fight for space and respect, and I find I cannot contain the emotion about the possibility of electing Kamala Harris as president.

But as one of more than half a million Puerto Ricans in Pennsylvania, the third largest concentration after New York and Florida, I am also concerned about the future of Puerto Rico, given the Democratic National Convention’s platform.

Let me explain. I was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Philadelphia. My husband and I have a house on the island and spend time with family in San Lorenzo and Barranquitas. Post Hurricanes Irma and Maria, I have seen firsthand the continued disparity and economic challenges Puerto Rico faces. We are here, but we vote with Puerto Rico in our hearts.

The problem with the Puerto Rico Status Act is that it leaves out critical information — a lot of it.

The Democratic platform has several welcome positions on Puerto Rico, including calling for an end to an unwanted and unelected fiscal board that Congress imposed on the island. That board is riddled with conflicts of interest, has fought the local press on transparency even though it is paid for with public funds, and has supplanted legislative measures that were democratically enacted.

However, the party’s position is off course on the question of Puerto Rico’s political status.

The DNC supports the enactment of the Puerto Rico Status Act (PRSA), a bill that proposes to “decolonize” Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony since 1898, which would forever change Puerto Rico’s status.

To make such a monumental decision, Puerto Ricans should have details up front about the implications of the options for statehood, a free associated compact, or independence.

The problem with the Puerto Rico Status Act is that it leaves out critical information — a lot of it.

For one, the bill does not say whether Spanish will, or will not be, the controlling language of schools, courts, government agencies, and operations on the island, should the Puerto Rican people choose statehood.

This matters because speaking Spanish is not simply a skill Puerto Ricans have, it is at the core of our identity, expression, and day-to-day lives on the island. If Spanish will not be the controlling language of Puerto Rico in an annexation scenario, this should be made clear.

The bill also fails to be straight with Puerto Ricans about whether taxes would increase under statehood, by how much, and how soon — or how Puerto Rico’s $72 billion restructured debt can be repaid if the taxes increase substantially.

In recent years, millionaire and billionaire Americans have been settling in Puerto Rico to exploit a tax loophole that allows them to avoid paying capital gains taxes. Will these recent residents be allowed to participate in a status referendum while our relatives, who were displaced by an economic spiral and Hurricane Maria, are denied that say?

The PRSA doesn’t say but does not ban this colonial wave from being decision-makers in the future of Puerto Rico.

While PRSA fails to spell out the implications of annexation, it overreaches by suggesting what kind of constitution an independent Puerto Rico should have. This is essentially a pre-intervention in the people’s right to self-determine and develop what would be a new Latin American and Caribbean republic.

Ignoring critical issues and politically tilting a process are the hallmarks of a decolonization process set up to fail.

Unfortunately, PRSA is on track as a checkbox for Congress, but not as a treatment that the Puerto Rican people — who have repeatedly been let down by Washington — will accept.

The Democratic Party can and should do better by supporting full and up-front transparency.

Preserving democracy is not simply a matter of defeating a violent MAGA cult. It demands we treat the Caribbean and Pacific Island peoples — already subjected to 126 years of U.S. colonialism — in a way that respects their right to self-determination.

Maria Quiñones Sánchez is the first Latina elected to Philadelphia City Council from 2007-2022 and the former director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Pennsylvania.