On August 6, 2025, following the news that President Trump had dismissed the majority of members of Puerto Rico's Financial Oversight and Management Board, BUDPR released the following statement:

President Trump’s firing of 5 out of the 7 members of Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board is the first step in a full Trumpian takeover of Puerto Rico that will do irreparable harm to our people. Soon, after Trump appoints new members who want Puerto Ricans to suffer so bondholders can profit, the Board will surely unleash even more crippling austerity on Puerto Rico.

These are the direct consequences of colonialism: of Puerto Rico lacking self-rule and being at the mercy of the U.S. government. The island’s troubles will not end until we end the colonial status and put the power to govern Puerto Rico in the hands of Puerto Ricans—not Donald Trump or any American president.

To that end, Puerto Rico needs independence now!

Calls for “decolonization” or “self-determination” are insufficient and incomplete without support for national liberation. Only an orderly transition to independence that ends in full sovereignty can safeguard Puerto Rico’s future from the rising tide of fascism and oppression.