Puerto Rico’s
Méndez-Núñez: It’s the right thing to do — and long overdue
Speaker of the House favors statehood.
Congress must grant statehood to Puerto Rico: It is the right thing to do, and it is way overdue. Moreover, it would be in the best interest of both, the U.S. citizens living on the island as well as that of our nation. This is why I urge this Congress to make a statement to the world that the United States still is a “shining city upon a hill” with the start of an admission process in the next few months.
Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since the passing of the Jones-Shafroth Act back in 1917. Yet we do not have a representative in Congress with the power of a vote, we cannot vote for our commander in chief, and we do not receive the full allocations of all the available federal programs. Congress needs to end this political limbo now.
The case for statehood is simple: Puerto Rico is an essential part of the United States.
Puerto Ricans have made immense contributions to our nation. Among those contributors:
Sonia Sotomayor is the first and only Supreme Court justice of Hispanic heritage.
Antonia Coello Novello served as surgeon general of the United States, the first and only Hispanic woman to do so.
Anthony Romero is the current president of the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that promotes freedom and justice for all U.S. citizens, no matter where they live.
Puerto Ricans have also impacted the fields of sport and entertainment in many ways. With the passing of time, the influence of our community has extended to the political arena.
Since 2013, Puerto Ricans have been migrating by the thousands to states such as Florida, a migration forced by poor economic conditions on the island. Central Florida alone is home to more than 350,000 Puerto Ricans. Overall, Puerto Ricans now number more than 1 million in the state and represent 29 percent of Hispanic registered voters — closing in on the Cuban population of 1.3 million that comprises 32 percent of the total Hispanic vote.
This is an enormous political power in a swing state, one that can decide who wins the White House. Because of rapid changes in connectivity — the internet and social media — our community is starting to engage in the political process in ways not seen before. We are now an important part of this equation, not bystanders.
The admission of Puerto Rico would be of great value to our nation.
One of the main reasons for the rise of the United States as the sole superpower in the world is diversity and the plurality of thinking. Diversity makes us strong and powerful. Since the end of World War II, most nations have not expanded. In fact, many have ceded territory, such as the United Kingdom with India, while others have completely disappeared from the map (Yugoslavia). Only the U.S. has managed to expand its diversity with the admission of Hawaii and Alaska as states.
Nearly 60 years have passed since the last territory was admitted into the Union. It’s time to change that. It’s time to renew the promise of America.
Puerto Rico, a predominantly Hispanic state, would bring America a renowned sense of greatness, an example that plurality still equals greatness. The time has come for our nation to act. The United States citizens in Puerto Rico have twice voted for statehood in recent years; it’s imperative that the voices of those voters be heard.
With Puerto Rico’s admission as a state, the quality of life would improve dramatically on the island, paving the way for more interstate commerce and the transfer of goods and services to generate enormous capital gains for the state and the nation. Puerto Rico would become the bridge our nation needs to the countries of South and Central America, an economic “aircraft carrier” and one of the most promising advancements for economic development.
In the end, the benefits are too much to ignore. This Congress, which expires at the end of the year, has the historic opportunity to push forward the American Dream to Puerto Rico. I urge the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to take it.