The Cockfighting Ban: Federal Law vs. Cultural Tradition (2019)

The cockfighting ban of 2019 is not primarily about animal welfare — it is about colonial power. Congress prohibited a Puerto Rican cultural practice without Puerto Rican consent, overriding the democratically elected Puerto Rican legislature.

The Tradition:
- Cockfighting (peleas de gallos) has been practiced in Puerto Rico for over 400 years
- It was legal and regulated by the Puerto Rican government
- The industry employed approximately 27,000 people directly and indirectly
- Over 70 licensed galleras (cockfighting arenas) operated across the island
- Cockfighting was deeply embedded in Puerto Rican rural culture — not just a sport but a social institution
- The Puerto Rican legislature had repeatedly voted to maintain cockfighting as a legal cultural tradition

The Ban:
- The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill included a provision extending the federal cockfighting ban to U.S. territories
- The provision took effect on December 20, 2019
- Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner (non-voting delegate) lobbied against the provision
- The Puerto Rican legislature passed a resolution opposing the ban
- Animal welfare organizations like the ASPCA and the Humane Society supported the ban
- Congress overrode Puerto Rico's democratic process

The Colonial Dimension:
1. No representation: Puerto Rico has no voting members of Congress. The ban was imposed by legislators for whom Puerto Ricans cannot vote.
2. Cultural override: Congress prohibited a culturally significant practice without regard for Puerto Rican culture or democratic will.
3. Selective enforcement: Cockfighting is banned in U.S. territories, but other controversial animal practices (factory farming, trophy hunting, rodeo) remain legal on the mainland.
4. Economic impact: 27,000 jobs lost in an economy already devastated by austerity and hurricane damage.
5. Democratic violation: The Puerto Rican legislature voted to maintain cockfighting — Congress overrode this decision.

Reaction in Puerto Rico:
- Gallero (cockfighter) organizations protested and filed legal challenges
- Some Puerto Ricans who personally oppose cockfighting still opposed the ban on sovereignty grounds — the issue was not whether cockfighting should be legal but who has the right to decide
- Legal challenges argued the ban violates Puerto Rico's self-governance rights
- Underground cockfighting has reportedly continued despite the ban

The Larger Principle:
The cockfighting ban illustrates a fundamental colonial reality: Congress can prohibit anything in Puerto Rico, at any time, without Puerto Rican consent. Whether the subject is cockfighting, taxes, environmental regulations, or constitutional rights — the power is absolute and the territory has no recourse.

The ban may or may not be good animal welfare policy. But it was imposed by a government in which Puerto Ricans have no vote — and that is colonialism regardless of the policy's merits.