Puerto Rico is adding “USA” to driver’s licenses

Humberto Marchand turned on his phone camera and began recording inside the airport in May because he could not believe what he was hearing.

The subsequent video was posted on social media and showed an employee of Hertz, the rental car chain, refusing to give Marchand his prepaid reserved car because he had presented a driver’s license issued from Puerto Rico, where he is from. The employee did not realize that this meant he was American and ignored Marchand’s pleas as he repeated, “It is a valid ID.”

Eileen Vélez Vega, Puerto Rico’s secretary of transportation and public works, felt increasingly frustrated as she watched that video in the spring, which reignited concerns over how Puerto Ricans are treated in the United States and the way their colonial past still vexes the island.

“I was shocked about how much lack of education, lack of knowledge was out there,” Vélez Vega said in an interview, noting that people born in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, have the same birthright American citizenship as people born in the 50 states. “I couldn’t believe what was happening.”

Vélez Vega and her department made calls to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over the summer to discuss a possible solution.

On Tuesday, Puerto Rico’s government revealed its plan: Driver’s licenses will now read “Puerto Rico USA” on the top, an addition that officials hope will minimize issues when Puerto Ricans are traveling in the mainland United States.

Roberto Cruz, the managing attorney of the southeast office of Latinojustice, said that “it is unfortunate that the Puerto Rican government has felt it is necessary to include the ‘USA’ stamp, but if it is helpful for Puerto Ricans to get decent treatment and the services they deserve, then we support it.”

Many residents of Puerto Rico have long viewed the island’s status as a colonial territory as untenable, debating the pros and cons of statehood, being a commonwealth and independence, said Charles Venator-santiago, a professor of Latino politics and law at the University of Connecticut.

Puerto Rico has held six nonbinding plebiscites on whether it should become a state, most recently in 2020, when 52% of voters on the island endorsed the move. Turnout has often been low, amid boycotts by critics who support the status quo, or the smaller faction that seeks independence.

Beyond the political implications, some doubt that the USA label — which other territories such as Guam also have on driver’s licenses — will even prevent mishaps in the states.