A push, backed by billionaires, to develop libertarian enclaves in Central America is now making its way back to the United States. Its advocates are aiming to establish privately run, corporately governed cities within the U.S.
A newly formed lobbying group, the Freedom Cities Coalition, is working to convince President Trump and Congress to create special development zones across the country. These zones would grant wealthy investors the ability to craft their own laws and governance structures, bypassing traditional bureaucratic systems. Additionally, these zones could act as testing grounds for innovative technologies, free from government oversight.
Wired recently reported that the Coalition is drafting legislation that would allow the creation of a network of these “cities.” A key motivation for these cities is to conduct scientific and technological development without the burden of regulatory approval. According to Wired, the goal is to create spaces where clinical trials for anti-aging treatments, nuclear reactor startups, and construction projects can proceed without needing clearance from agencies like the FDA, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or the EPA.
The Freedom Cities Coalition is a project of NeWay Capital, the company behind Prospera, a private, crypto-friendly enclave in Honduras. Prospera operates under a special regulatory framework known as a Special Economic Zone (ZEDE), which was introduced in 2013 after a U.S.-backed coup. ZEDEs allow private entities to establish their own regulatory and legal systems within geographically defined areas.
Prospera is also part of a broader movement called the “Network State,” an anarcho-capitalist ideology supported by tech billionaires that seeks to build privately governed cities using native cryptocurrencies. Wired covers the Coalition’s ongoing efforts to persuade President Trump and Congress to make their project a reality under federal law. The group is using various strategies to push for legislation that would authorize these cities’ development.
Trey Goff, chief of staff at Próspera, tells WIRED that he and other representatives from Próspera have been meeting with the Trump administration to discuss the idea. He says the administration has been receptive to their pitch.
On its website, the Freedom Cities Coalition claims that America’s regulatory environment is stifling innovation, while other nations are creating new hubs of progress. The Coalition’s website reads, “Freedom Cities are America’s boldest solution to unleash our nation’s full potential. By creating zones of regulatory clarity and economic dynamism, these specially designated areas strip away decades of bureaucratic buildup while maintaining essential protections, allowing entrepreneurs and builders to move at the speed of human ingenuity rather than the pace of paperwork.”
The question arises: where will these new “Freedom Cities” be located? One possibility is that the Network Staters may want to develop them on federal land. The Freedom Cities Coalition points out that 28 percent of U.S. land is federally owned and “ready for innovative development,” though they don’t clarify what type of federal land this refers to. Much of the land not used for farming or energy is dedicated to wildlife conservation.
It’s also notable that, during his presidential campaign, Trump suggested using protected federal lands to build “Freedom Cities.” In a campaign video, he spoke about the ambitious projects of past generations, stating, “They pushed across an unsettled continent and built new cities in the wild frontier.” Trump proposed using protected lands to develop ten new cities, which he claimed would “re-open the frontier, reignite American imagination, and give hundreds of thousands of young people a new shot at homeownership and, in fact, the American dream.”
