pinion Shift in Cuba Policy Amplifies Puerto Rican Calls for Statehood

It’s long been thought that were there to be a 51st state, it would be Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island commonwealth that has had a sometimes complicated status as a U.S. territory dating back to the Spanish-American war. The recent decision by the U.S. to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba has some Puerto Rican activists arguing that the same logic suggests statehood for their country.

Officially, Puerto Rico is an an unincorporated territory of the United States, as are Guam, Northern Marianas, the U. S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa (along with 10 uninhabited islands). But its proximity, historic relationship and large population of U.S.-based residents has made for a closer, if somewhat convoluted standing. Puerto Rico elects its own governor and has some level of autonomy, though just like a U.S. state, it cannot decide its own foreign policy. 

31 of our states existed as U.S. territories before achieving statehood, most recently Hawaii and Alaska. Others have gone on to achieve sovereignty and become independent countries, like the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands. There’s no sizable movement for independence in Puerto Rico, though it would seem clear that a majority of its citizens would prefer a status other than what they currently hold.

In 2012, the most recent referendum showed that 54 percent of Puerto Ricans wanted to change the status, the majority of whom favored statehood. Recently, two prominent Puerto Rican political voices from different sides of the ideological spectrum used the President’s words regarding the U.S. rationale for reestablishing diplomatic relations with Cuba to argue for the statehood option.

Dr. Ricardo Rosselló, a likely 2016 candidate in Puerto Rico’s gubernatorial election and vice-chairman for the 2008 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign in Puerto Rico, wrote in a letter to President Obama after his Cuba speech that the intent “to leave behind the legacy of both colonization and communism ... to advance the dreams of our citizens,” could just as easily apply to Puerto Rico’s status and end what Rosselló describes as a “condition of political inequality that has been the official U.S. policy on the Island for over 60 years.”

Conservative Puerto Rican political pundit Alfonso Aguilar, who served in multiple roles as part of President George W. Bush's administration, echoed the sentiment, calling the double standard “scandalous.”

The 4 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico are not fully protected by the U.S. Constitution. They can serve in the Armed Forces (and have done so at an impressively high ratio), but cannot vote, even though both major political parties include the island in their Presidential Primary process. They also have no representation in Congress, though they are subject to decisions made in Washington.

Statehood could benefit both the U.S. and Puerto Rico, as was the case in Hawaii and Alaska. U.S. income taxes are not currently collected there, nor are corporate taxes. Closing those loopholes would generate revenues while the island would be eligible for federal funding like other states receive – estimated at about $20 billion, though that would be about $2 billion less than the aid it already receives in other forms. Statehood could boost an economy suffering from 13.5 percent unemployment, but Puerto Ricans argue that it's not just the advantages they seek, but also the responsibilities and basic rights.

The most common argument by Puerto Ricans who disfavor statehood is the fear of a loss of culture, a reality that native Hawaiians continue to struggle with more than half a century after being admitted to the union. Puerto Rico's status isn't going to change overnight, as the collective inaction after the 2012 vote has demonstrated. But great political changes often come in waves as part of larger movements. It's uncertain what chain reactions our Cuban shift will ignite; however, a 51st star on the flag may have just become more likely in its wake.

Dennis Maley's column appears every Thursday and Sunday in The Bradenton Times. He can be reached at dennis.maley@thebradentontimes.com. Click here to visit his column archive. Click here to go to his bio page. You can also follow Dennis on Facebook.