Legislators tell The Associated Press that Puerto Rico plans to defy the U.S. government and approve a law to keep cockfighting alive in a bid to protect a 400-year-old tradition practiced across the island despite a federal ban that goes into effect this week.
The move unleashed cautious rejoicing in the island’s cockfighting industry Tuesday night despite concerns that the U.S. territory is trying to override a federal law that President Donald Trump signed a year ago.
One lawmaker says Gov. Wanda Vázquez is scheduled to sign the bill Wednesday morning and officials expect the fight to end up in federal court.
According to the Miami Herald, while cockfighting has been illegal in all 50 states since 2007, it was still allowed in U.S. territories because of a legal loophole. But the loophole was closed as part of the 2018 Farm Bill.
According to the Puerto Rico bill, cockfighting generates an estimated $18 million a year and employs some 27,000 people.
Lawmakers in Puerto Rico argue that a ban would just drive the fights underground, NBC News reported.
