Statehood movement in Puerto Rico

Statehood movement in Puerto Rico
Purpose advocates for Puerto Rico to become a state of the United States
Key people
 Carlos Romero Barceló
Juan Celso Barbosa
Luis A. Ferré
Luis Fortuño
Pedro Pierluisi
Pedro Rosselló
Affiliations New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
Puerto Rico
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Puerto Rico

The statehood movement in Puerto Rico comprises initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at changing the current political status of Puerto Rico and creating a U.S. state named "Puerto Rico". The movement is not limited to one group of individuals or one single organization, but represents the events and activities of groups, organizations, and individuals that share the common goal of advocating, supporting, or seeking statehood for Puerto Rico.

On December 11, 2012, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico enacted a concurrent resolution to request the President and the Congress of the United States to respond diligently and effectively, and to act on the demand of the people of Puerto Rico, as freely and democratically expressed in the referendum held on November 6, 2012, to end its current status as a territory and to begin the process to admit Puerto Rico to the Union as a state.[1]

In 2014, resolutions were introduced in both houses of the United States Congress (H.R. 2000; S. 2020) to hold a yes-or-no referendum among Puerto Rican residents on statehood, with a "yes" majority compelling the President to submit legislation enacting Puerto Rican statehood.[2][3] Both resolutions died in committee.[4]

Background

Further information: Political status of Puerto Rico

Following the Spanish–American War, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States in 1898. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated, organized territory of the US with Commonwealth status. Puerto Ricans were given US citizenship in 1917. The Office of the President is responsible for policy relations between the United States and Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is, by a considerable margin, the largest U.S. territory in terms of both population and geographical area, being similar to Connecticut in both respects. Puerto Rico is represented in Congress by a resident commissioner, who does not have voting power. Puerto Rico does not participate in Presidential elections, though a Puerto Rican resident in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia is able to participate in the ballots there.

History

Since 1967, there have been several referendums that include questions on statehood. Puerto Ricans chose not to alter the status quo in referenda until 2012. The 2012 referendum produced a more equivocal result.[5]

1998 referendum

A referendum in December 1998 offered voters four political status options, plus "none of the above." The latter option won 50.5% of the vote, followed by statehood, with 46.6%.[6] Turnout was 71%.[7]

2012 statehood vote

On November 6, 2012, eligible voters in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico were presented with two questions. First, when asked to approve or reject Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth (or territory), voters rejected it 54% to 46%.

Second, when then asked to choose their preferred status for Puerto Rico, 61.15% of those who marked an option chose statehood in the United States, while 24% of ballots were submitted blank. The preferred status consultation did not include Puerto Rico's current status as a territory (Estado Libre Asociado as defined by the 1952 Constitution) as a choice, but instead an alternative named "E.L.A. Soberano"[8] President Barack Obama has pledged to respect the voters' decision.[9] In December 2012, newspaper Caribbean Business allegedly obtained, from a White House source, a statement claiming that Obama urged Congress to act upon the referendum's results.[10] On August 1, 2013, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on Puerto Rico's status as a direct result of the 2012 referendum vote and invited Governor Alejandro García Padilla, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, and pro-independence supporter Rubén Berríos to give testimony and answer questions from the committee.[11]

Future vote

The 2014 budget bill included $2.5 million in funding for a future vote in Puerto Rico's political status. This referendum can be held at any time, as there is no deadline attached to the funds.[12][13] The referendum may be an issue in the 2016 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election.[14]

Foreign Affiliations

There’s another issue that I’ve decided to mention here tonight. I’ve long believed that the people of Puerto Rico should have the right to determine their own political future. Personally, I strongly favor statehood. But I urge the Congress to take the necessary steps to allow the people to decide in a referendum.[18]
We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state after they freely so determine. We recognize that Congress has the final authority to define the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with government by consent and full enfranchisement. As long as Puerto Rico is not a state, however, the will of its people regarding their political status should be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S. government.[21][22]
We believe that the people of Puerto Rico have the right to the political status of their choice, obtained through a fair, neutral, and democratic process of self-determination. The White House and Congress will work with all groups in Puerto Rico to enable the question of Puerto Rico's status to be resolved during the next four years.[23]
As President Obama said when he became the first President to visit Puerto Rico and address its people in 50 years, Boricuas every day help write the American story. Puerto Ricans have been proud American citizens for almost 100 years. During that time, the people of Puerto Rico have developed strong political, economic, social, and cultural ties to the United States. The political status of Puerto Rico remains an issue of overwhelming importance, but lack of resolution about status has held the island back. It is time for Puerto Rico to take the next step in the history of its status and its relationship to the rest of the United States. The White House Task Force Report on Puerto Rico has taken important and historic steps regarding status. We commit to moving resolution of the status issue forward with the goal of resolving it expeditiously. If local efforts in Puerto Rico to resolve the status issue do not provide a clear result in the short term, the President should support, and Congress should enact, self-executing legislation that specifies in advance for the people of Puerto Rico a set of clear status options, such as those recommended in the White House Task Force Report on Puerto Rico, which the United States is politically committed to fulfilling. The economic success of Puerto Rico is intimately linked to a swift resolution of the status question, as well as consistent, focused efforts on improving the lives of the people of Puerto Rico. We have made great progress for Puerto Rico over the past four years, including a sharp, historic increase in Medicaid funding for the people of Puerto Rico and fair and equitable inclusion in the Recovery Act and the Affordable Care Act. Going forward, we will continue working toward fair and equitable participation for Puerto Rico in federal programs. We support increased efforts by the federal government to improve public safety in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, with a particular emphasis on efforts to combat drug trafficking and crime throughout our Caribbean border. In addition, consistent with the task force report, we will continue to work on improving Puerto Rico's economic status by promoting job creation, education, health care, clean energy, and economic development on the Island.[24]

Statehood Supporters

Supporters of Puerto Rican statehood:

Groups of Puerto Rican statehood:

See also

Citations

  1. ↑ The Senate and the House of Representative of Puerto Rico Concurrent Resolution
  2. ↑ Opinion: Puerto Rico Statehood Is A Moral, Democratic And Economic Imperative
  3. ↑ Sen. Martin Heinrich Presents Bill Seeking Puerto Rico Statehood
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ The World Factbook
  6. ↑ Nohlen 2005, p. 552.
  7. ↑ Nohlen 2005, p. 555.
  8. ↑ "Resultados Plebiscito". 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  9. ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/election-puerto-rico/index.html
  10. ↑ White House clarifies status stance
  11. ↑ "Statements from U.S. Senate Hearing on Puerto Rico Political Status Plebiscite". 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
  12. ↑ "U.S. approves funds for referendum on Puerto Rico's status". 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  13. ↑ "Make room for 51st star? Spending bill includes $2.5 million for vote on Puerto RIco statehood". 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
  14. ↑ "First Insular Law in 2017 Could Move Puerto Rico to Statehood". Puerto Rico Report. October 29, 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  15. ↑ 1940 Democratic Platform, July 15, 1940
  16. ↑ "Gerald R. Ford: Statement on Proposed Statehood for Puerto Rico". Presidency.ucsb.edu. December 31, 1976. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  17. ↑ "Presidents of the United States on Puerto Rico: A Legacy of Support for Human Rights and Self‐Determination" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  18. 1 2 Garrett, R. Sam; Keith, Bea (Jun 7, 2011). "Political Status of Puerto Rico: Options for Congress [Report RL32933]" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service.
  19. ↑ "Democratic Party Platforms: 2008 Democratic Party Platform". presidency.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  20. ↑ "Republican Party Platforms: 2008 Republican Party Platform". presidency.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  21. ↑ 2008 republican Platform : Government Reform, gop.com
  22. ↑ 2012 Republican Party Platform
  23. ↑ 2008 Democratic Party Platform, August 25, 2008, The American Presidency Project.
  24. ↑ 2012 Democratic National Platform
  25. 1 2 REPORT BY THE PRESIDENT’S TASK FORCE ON PUERTO RICO’S STATUS, Page 23, Recommendation No. 1 & Page 30, Recommendation No. 7 & Recommendation No. 2, Page 24, 2nd Paragraph of Page 28, March 11, 2011, The White House.
  26. ↑ http://www.441pac.org

References

  • Nohlen, D (2005). Elections in the Americas: A data handbook. ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6. 

External links

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