What is Puerto Rico's current status?

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Darth Eugene Vader

1. USA Territory, What does this mean for the people of Puerto Rico?

First, there are several types of territories:
Organized vs Non organized territories.
Incorpored vs Non Incorpored territories

PR is an organized territory of the USA, this means we have our own local constitution & local goverment with elected officials including Governor, Senators, Representatives at the House, City Majors, city legislators, and a Resident Commisioner who is a member of the congress (House) but with limited voting rights.

At the same time PR is an un-incorpored territory of the USA. this means we are a property of the USA not "part" of the USA. Like your computer or a car, something that belongs to you, but is not part of you. In more simpler terms, we are for all practical means, a colony of the USA. I'm sure americans know what a colony is.

Nationality?
1. If you are asking for our citizenship it is USA, we have US passports, free to move / work in any place of the USA as any other US citizen. No VISAs or special permits are required to us to travel, study, work or live in the USA.
2. If you are asking about if PR is a nation (which is a different term than "country" or "free country", and different to "state") the answer is Yes, we are a nation. A nation is a human cultural and social community. In as much as most members never meet each other, yet feel a common bond, it may be considered an imagined community. Puertorrican are a nation (as per the definition I typed here). The Sioux are a nation, too. There are more than one nation in USA Check this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_by_nationality

Government services?
Both USA federal goverment and PR local goverment provide services in PR. We have federal agencies with offices in PR including (but not limited to): US Federal Court, Department of Justice, FBI, FDA, Social Security Administration, USDA, FAA, etc.

Split regarding status? More or less:
40 to 45% wants statehood.
40 to 45% support to remain as is or with slight improvements.
3% to 5% seek independence for PR.
Whatever % left is undecided or shifting from one side to another.

Economy?
Due that our polithical relationship we are closely influenced by the economy odf the USA. When things go down in USA things get deeper in PR. Consider this (just one of the rerasons):
* Can a businessman (in a state) make a contract to use a cargo ship with a shipping company from France, Mexico or Japan? Can he select to use the most economical way to bring his cargo to his business place? Yes, he can.
* Can a businessman in PR do the same? NO. We are obligued to use USA's cargo ships only to bring the merchandise we need! We can only negotiate with american cargo ship companies. USA cargo ships are the more expensier in the world, therefore the costs of goods in PR are more expensive than they should be.

see_ya

PR as US territory it just means we are affiliated to the US as a commonwealth, but not an official state. To me it means freedom and preserved culture all in one. Both the US and the PR government provide services, the government of PR usually provides mainly all the services. Puerto Ricans are immediate US citizens, we dont need any kind of permit, we just need an ID to travel from the one place to the other, as long as is in the US and not other foreign country.

there are four political parties
PNP Partido Nuevo Progresista (Republicans) who desire official statehood
PPD Partido Popular Democratico (Democratic) which is PR political status since US and PR made the treaty to be a commonwealth, this one political status has remain even if the republicans win the elections and run office.
PIP Partido Independentista (Independent) which is sort of Cuba but affiliated to other foreign european countries.
PPP Puertorriquenos por Puerto Rico (Liberals) this is a new political party that believe that the government office should work with all mixed political memebers of the above parties but for the benefit if PR and its people to perserve its culture and still be free.

PR holds the future of becoming an official state in a few years. why? because one thing PR never had was taxes and since 2007 we pay taxes like the US, if that changed what makes people think that it wont change its status.

PR economy is not better than the US but its one of the best compared to other countries. We are not a third world country and since we are a US territory we have the privilege of having products imported to the island and also alot of American companies, such as stores, restaurants, pharmacy factories, and other medical factories supplies from the US. we also have barcardi rum factory which is a huge economy in the US and it sells like water bottles, not mentioning other rums like cutty, and captain morgan rums.

matrushka2525

Our current status is what I like to call a "mongoloid status", we are work in many ways like a US state, but a lot of people in this island consider it a sovereign country, when its not, we can't do anything without the US's permission, we are not a state, we can't vote for president, but we can vote for the presidential candidates, isn't that ironic? We are all automatic US citizens, and we can come and go to the US as we please, just like you folks. Another thing is that approx. 1/2 part of the voting population wants PR to become a state, the other approx. 1/2 wants the current status, and some approx 5% people wants independence, but quite interestingly when it comes to governor elections they vote for the "current status platform" candidate, so maybe you can say 1/2 PR wants the US to stay and still give us sovereignty, quite stupid and cowardly I say. Our economy is in the craps dept. right now, unemployment is high, and the government is doing whatever they want (put it in their pockets) with our tax money. I honestly believe that PRs current status will never be solved until many of our main social problems are mostly solved first, our culture is a bit complex and dumb. We are an island, and that brings a lot of social problems, its hard for many islanders to have wide open minds, usually islanders live in their own "island mentality" and thats something people can understand if they live in an island, well many of us suffer from that phenomenon and it sucks, because thanks to that we are being left behind.

PS: Don't get me wrong, PR is a great place to be, many N. Americans live here, and they never complain, life is way easier here than in the states believe me, I've even met Americans that cry when they leave the island for the states, its truly a paradise, a wrongfully governed island.

harry k

Officially called the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is an â€œunincorporated territoryâ€ of the United States which according to the United States Supreme Court is â€œa territory appurtenant and belonging to the United States, but not a part of the United States.

Puerto Rican's are US citizens.
The local government provides services.
Since Puerto Rican's are US citizens they have every right as any other US citizen and can move, live, and work freely anywhere in the US.

Every so often there is a plebiscite in PR. Thy have the choice of statehood, independence or keeping the status quo and have always voted for the status quo.

Economic wise there are gov't programs in place to encourage industry, many pharmecutical (Pfizer, Merck, etc) and electronics (HP) have mfg plants there, however the economy isn't as robust as the rest of the US. It is miles ahead of other islands in the Carribean though.

Girasol, Here Again!!

Puerto Rico is a COLONY of the U.S.!! It hurts, but, is the true!!!

Brian

There is no doubt that Puerto Rico is a country, a country that is not fully sovereign yet, but still a country. Puerto Ricans are as latin americans as Cubans or Venezuelans because their history is the same, they all come from the same root. The imposition of a statutory US citizenship in 1917 in Puerto Rico during the US military colonial regime (regime that lasted 50 years) did not make Puerto Ricans into "americans" the same way the german invasion of france did not turned french people into german,
Puerto Ricans have always defended their own nationality and the governing party and it's governor Anibal Acevedo Vila is looking forward to have a sovereign Puerto Rico in the future.

shinningstarofthecarribean

Try this site from the CIA.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rq.html

Christian R

i will answer question one by one, here are people that are with the united states, the minority think that PR will have to be free. The same you explained in the second paragraph. There only a problem the people that would like to become a sovereign state are the 10 percent of the puertoricans. officially we are Puerto Rican but we also consider american because of we are territory of US. All goverment services in PR are from US, Social Security, Medicare, United States Postal Services, etc. People have free movement to move from here to there and vice versa, also to work there. We only need a valid ID. I think that in less than 10 years PR will be the 51th state.

In the economy we are like mainland. We have all those chains like best buy, circuit city, office depot, KFC, Mcdonalds, Applebees, Sizzler, Chilis etc. we also have the biggest JCPenny and the biggest Sears of the world or carribean i dont know. we also have a Macys Store. it all the same. i compare the touristic area in San Juan with miami. I want that you mail me your opinion of PR and why you are interested in know all of this. it is interesant. christianrosario937@hotmail.com

tamara

Puerto Rico is a latin american nation. The political status of Puerto Rico is a self governing island (Since 1952) with a political association with the US as a unincorporated territory , free associated state or Commonwealth. The government of Puerto Rico prefers the name Associated Free State to name the relationship between both nations.

Puerto Rico is spanish speaking, catholic and it's culture belongs to the family of Latin American Nations.

Puerto Ricans have rejected US statehood several times.

Puerto Ricans are a nationality, recognized worldwide.

Pirulito G

its some B.S. system, but the people there are contempt with it. They dont like anything that is permanent or different from the status quo, so they'll invent how 'it is the best of both worlds' or some b.s. like that.

caimito

first is a Commonwealth, second is the #13 economy in the u.s. and third, the develop and social and security are the best in the Caribbean

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