Statehood for Puerto Rico?

Bianca Velázquez Orengo, 18, has lived in Puerto Rico all her life, but she remembers how eye-opening it was to visit her aunt in Tampa, Florida, as a kid.

“I could see that life in America was way better than here in Puerto Rico,” she says. As she grew older, she became more aware of the ways that Puerto Ricans are treated unequally.

“It’s time for the president and Congress to recognize that our citizens should have the same rights as in the 50 states,” Velázquez Orengo says.

It’s been 125 years since Puerto Rico became an American territory, when the United States acquired the island from Spain as part of the treaty ending the Spanish-American War in 1898 (see key dates, below). But in many ways, Puerto Rico’s status remains unresolved.

Today all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but only those living on the mainland enjoy full constitutional rights. Residents of Puerto Rico can’t vote in presidential elections (though they can vote in primaries) and have one nonvoting representative in Congress—currently Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican. Puerto Rico has no representation in the U.S. Senate.

“Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens who are subject to federal laws, and these citizens don’t have any say in the federal legislative process,” says George Laws Garcia, executive director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council, a group pushing to make Puerto Rico America’s 51st state. “That’s a devastating blow to the fundamental ethos and founding values of America.”

Bianca Velázquez Orengo, 18, has lived in Puerto Rico all her life. When she was a kid, she went to visit her aunt in Tampa, Florida. She remembers the visit as eye-opening.

“I could see that life in America was way better than here in Puerto Rico,” she says. As she grew older, she became more aware of the ways that Puerto Ricans are treated unequally.

“It’s time for the president and Congress to recognize that our citizens should have the same rights as in the 50 states,” Velázquez Orengo says.

It’s been 125 years since Puerto Rico became an American territory.  The United States acquired the island from Spain as part of the treaty ending the Spanish-American War in 1898 (see key dates, facing page). But in many ways, Puerto Rico’s status remains unresolved.

Today all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. But to enjoy full constitutional rights, they have to live on the mainland. Residents of Puerto Rico can’t vote in presidential elections. They can only vote in primaries. They have one nonvoting representative in Congress. Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican, is the current representative. Puerto Rico has no representation in the U.S. Senate.

“Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens who are subject to federal laws, and these citizens don’t have any say in the federal legislative process,” says George Laws Garcia. Garcia is the executive director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council, which is a group pushing to make Puerto Rico America’s 51st state. “That’s a devastating blow to the fundamental ethos and founding values of America.”

González-Colón believes momentum is building to end what she and many others see as a long history of unfair treatment of Puerto Rico. Earlier this year, Congressman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona introduced a bill that would finally resolve Puerto Rico’s status. It would require a binding referendum on the island allowing Puerto Ricans to choose among three options: becoming a U.S. state, becoming an independent nation, or “sovereignty in free association with the U.S.”*

The bill calls for a referendum to be held in November 2025 and is self-implementing, meaning whichever option Puerto Rican voters choose gets carried out.

But first, the legislation would have to pass the House and the Senate and be signed into law by the president. And political observers say it faces an uphill battle. Many lawmakers worry that adding a 51st state—which would mean two new senators and re-allocating Congress’s 435 representatives to also cover Puerto Rico—would upset the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats.

“Politically, that just won’t happen,” says Roger Pilon, a constitutional scholar at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C.

The last time the U.S. added a new state was in 1959 when Hawaii and Alaska joined the union. Two-thirds of Americans favored statehood for Puerto Rico in a 2019 Gallup poll.

González-Colón believes momentum is building. She and many others hope to see an end to the long history of unfair treatment of Puerto Rico. Earlier this year, Congressman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona introduced a bill that would finally resolve Puerto Rico’s status.

It would require a binding referendum on the island allowing Puerto Ricans to choose among three options. The options are becoming a U.S. state, becoming an independent nation, or “sovereignty in free association with the U.S.”*

The bill calls for a referendum to be held in November 2025. It is self-implementing, meaning whichever option Puerto Rican voters choose gets carried out.

But first, the legislation would have to pass the House and the Senate. Then it would need to be signed into law by the president. Political observers say it faces an uphill battle. Many lawmakers worry that adding a 51st state would upset the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats. Adding another state would mean two new senators and re-allocating Congress’s 435 representatives to cover Puerto Rico.

“Politically, that just won’t happen,” says Roger Pilon, a constitutional scholar at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C.

The last time the U.S. added a new state was in 1959. This is when Hawaii and Alaska joined the union. Two-thirds of Americans favored statehood for Puerto Rico in a 2019 Gallup poll.

But Pilon also thinks Puerto Rico shouldn’t be eager to change its status.

“Individuals in Puerto Rico have the best of all possible worlds,” he argues. “As U.S. citizens, they can come and go from the U.S. as they please, but they don’t have to pay either federal income taxes or capital gains taxes” on investments.

Ed Morales, the author of a 2019 book about Puerto Rico, sees potential problems with the push for statehood.

“Statehood would conflict with a lot of Puerto Ricans’ identity as a separate nation and culture, which is considerable,” he says.

But supporters say statehood would provide stability and boost the island’s long-struggling economy.

“When Alaska and Hawaii became states, their economies grew by 300 percent over the next 10 years,” González-Colón says. “That could happen in Puerto Rico too.”

But Pilon also thinks Puerto Rico shouldn’t be eager to change its status.

“Individuals in Puerto Rico have the best of all possible worlds,” he argues. “As U.S. citizens, they can come and go from the U.S. as they please, but they don’t have to pay either federal income taxes or capital gains taxes” on investments.

Ed Morales, the author of a 2019 book about Puerto Rico, sees potential problems with the push for statehood.

“Statehood would conflict with a lot of Puerto Ricans’ identity as a separate nation and culture, which is considerable,” he says.

But supporters say statehood would provide stability. It could also boost the island’s long-struggling economy.

“When Alaska and Hawaii became states, their economies grew by 300 percent over the next 10 years,” González-Colón says. “That could happen in Puerto Rico too.”

The debate over Puerto Rico’s future is playing out after a series of events put the island in the headlines, making more Americans aware of its situation. In 2017, after decades of mismanagement, excessive borrowing, and a dwindling tax base, Puerto Rico’s government declared bankruptcy. Later that year, Hurricane Maria devastated the island and killed about 3,000 people.

For decades, Puerto Rico has been losing population. About 3.2 million people live on the island, and 5.8 million Puerto Ricans live on the U.S. mainland.

“People leave to get a better quality of life than they can afford or have on the island,” says González-Colón.

Despite the many challenges, she’s optimistic about Puerto Rico becoming a state.

“I don’t have any doubt that statehood is going to be approved for Puerto Rico,” she says. “The question is how long is it going to take to make that happen.”

The debate over Puerto Rico’s future is playing out after a series of events put the island in the headlines. In 2017, Puerto Rico’s government declared bankruptcy. This was caused by decades of mismanagement, excessive borrowing, and a dwindling tax base. Later that year, Hurricane Maria devastated the island and killed about 3,000 people.

For decades, Puerto Rico has been losing population. About 3.2 million people live on the island. And 5.8 million Puerto Ricans moved and now live on the U.S. mainland.

“People leave to get a better quality |of life than they can afford or have on the island,” says González-Colón.

Despite the many challenges, she’s optimistic about Puerto Rico becoming a state.

“I don’t have any doubt that statehood is going to be approved for Puerto Rico,” she says. “The question is how long is it going to take to make that happen.”

^{*Puerto Rico would be independent, but its citizens would get U.S. aid, military protection, and immigration benefits.}

^{*Puerto Rico would be independent, but its citizens would get U.S. aid, military protection, and immigration benefits.}