Posts Categorized: Opinion

The United States Has an Obligation

The United States has an obligation to resolve Puerto Rico’s status as a territory of the United States The U.S. took possession of Puerto Rico through war.  Almost 110 years later, the United States citizens of Puerto Rico still do not have voting representation in a government that makes and implements their national laws.  The… Read more »

The Evolving Definition of the Puerto Rican “Commonwealth”

The Enactment of the Commonwealth Constitution:  The Confusion Begins Puerto Rico is often called a commonwealth, but “Commonwealth” is actually just a word in the formal name of its insular government.   In 1950, the Federal government authorized Puerto Rico to draft a local constitution for Federal approval (Public Law 81-600), specifying that any new local autonomy would… Read more »

An Issue for all Americans: Puerto Rican Self-Determination

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States.  Its residents are United States citizens, but they have no voting rights or representation in the government that makes and implements their national laws, and they are not treated equally in federal programs.  This unequal treatment violates the most basic principles of equal citizenship in the… Read more »

Can a Puerto Rican Become President Of The United States?

The answer to this broad question is, “maybe yes and maybe no.” As “statutory citizens,” the nearly four million Americans born in Puerto Rico might not be considered “natural born,” a Constitutional requirement to become President of the United States. Let’s look at a few cases!