While many in Puerto Rico continue to debate the value of their U.S. citizenship and the government of Puerto Rico is now issuing certificates of Puerto Rican citizenship with dubious legal standing, an increasing number of Israelis are seeking and obtaining U.S. citizenship. A recent Wall Street Journal article explained how many Israelis are taking advantage of an obscure immigration law that enables grandparent to pass on their citizenship to their grandchildren.

Traditionally, citizenship could only be transmitted to a child by its parents, however, in a 1994 provision known as section 322 has provided another path to U.S. citizenship. As it works, being born in the U.S. or having U.S. citizenship doesn’t automatically qualify parents to pass on citizenship to their children. For this to happen, a parent must have lived in the U.S. for five years after the age of 14 to be able to transmit citizenship to a child. Section 322 allows grandparents who have fulfilled this requirement to pass on their citizenship to their grandchildren whose parents didn’t live in the U.S. long enough. Read the rest of this entry »

Puerto Rico’s former governor and current candidate for that post, Pedro Rossello has announced a shift in strategy in obtaining Puerto Rican statehood as a means of ending the islands centuries-old colonial dilemma. The former Governor now says that it will be necessary to take a page from the lessons of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s “I believe,” Rossello has stated, “that history is clear in the need to demand your rights rather than merely assuming a passive posture.”

According to Rossello, Puerto Rico’s quest to end its territorial status also mirrors the suffrage movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which ultimately recognized the right of women to participate in the nation’s political process through the act of voting. Furthermore, the governor now believes that the the topic of Puerto Rico present colonial status has to be more effectively brought before international forums, as well as, within the halls of Congress. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Puerto Rico continues to endure an economic slump that the elected officials seem incapable of solving. For example, the consumer-price index, which includes food and fuel prices was up 15%. Water and sewer rates have more than double over the past two years while the electric bills have jumped over 40%.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is forecasted to decline by 1.4%. In comparison the U.S. economy grew 2.9%. Puerto Rico’s economy, the Journal explains, is essentially built around two sectors: the government and manufacturing which together account for 39% of the island’s jobs and 52% of its GDP. Read the rest of this entry »

Early this month a million New Yorkers seemingly came together for a common celebration in apparent unison, namely the Puerto Rican Day Parade. However, while they were all chanting the same slogans, it was doubtful to me many truly knew what they were actually celebrating. You see, for many “¡Que Viva Puerto Rico!” is simply something that they have said about a place they have never visited. For others it is for a place they haven’t seen in 45 years. Regardless of the particular circumstances that apply to each individual, “Puerto Rico” is something you think about occasional to identify yourself amongst the masses of Gotham. However, thoughts about what it actually means to identify yourself in this way, unfortunately does not get as much attention as the parade that gets celebrated every year on the second Sunday in June. Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday, April 23rd, the Wall Street Journal printed an Opinion piece, “Puerto Rican Limbo” by former governor of Pennsylvania and former U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh which I thought was very interesting. I wonder what you think?

“Puerto Rico’s undefined political status is a serious national policy issue involving civil rights and democracy for four million U.S. citizens. Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier this month marked the 90th anniversary of the Jones Act granting U.S. citizenship to Puerto Ricans. As usual, some celebrated while others protested. However, regardless of where you stand in this debate, the fact of the matter is that for 90 years, the residents of Puerto Rico have carried the passport of a nation whose political process they cannot fully partake.

Yet while it is true that the average Puerto Rican would want to see the issue of the island’s political status finally resolved, it is also true that Puerto Ricans seem to lack one emotion that could get them closer to resolving this dilemma than perhaps all the debate in the world – anger. It is amazing how after all these years, the Puerto Rican people have not awoken from the seemingly endless night brought about by this situation. “Despierta Boricua” is an old maxim that sparks a new meaning. It is not about the revolutionary cries for independence of yesteryear. It is, however, about what it going to take for Puerto Ricans to admit to their true lot in life, their true position in the world and feel some sense of outrage.

Ninety years and we still can’t elect our most important government officials. Ninety years and many in our government still do not consider us fellow citizens. Where is the outrage?

This week Congress, once again, had another hearing on Puerto Rico’s status. There have been more than 40 of these and the congressional findings in all these sets of hearings will not be any different than the findings of the previous ones. Unfortunately for the Puerto Rican people, nothing will come out of these hearings.

To many in Washington, this issue can be reduced to one simple sentence, the status of Puerto Rico will be resolved when the people of Puerto Rico tell Congress what they want. I used to believe that this was simply a way to avoid the issue altogether. However, as I see it today, minor changes to that sentence will reduce it to a more appropriate form: the issue of Puerto Rico’s unresolved political status will be resolved once Puerto Ricans demonstrate their anger and frustration with Washington’s lethargy.

Scanning Puerto Rican newspapers recently one would think that the most pressing of the island’s issues, namely the unresolved question of Puerto Rico’s political status, was in fact resolved. I say this because while there may be an article or two that touches on the matter, the traditional parties on the island, those that have been auto-bestowed champions of self-determination seem to have determined to forget about the topic completely. Yet, the same headlines continue to show the necessity of resolving the fundamental problem affecting the Puerto Rican psyche – self-definition.

Traveling on the Staten Island ferry, (for those whom are not familiar with NYC, the ferry connects the islands of Staten Island and Manhattan in NYC. As a free ride, it has become very popular with tourists.) I had a very interesting conversation with a man visiting NYC from France. “Pierre,” has had the opportunity to visit Puerto Rico and therefore understood that the island was part of the United States. However, sometime later he was confused when as a spectator during an international sporting competition he saw athletes from Puerto Rico and the U.S. in separate delegations. It left him confused.

One does not have to go far from Puerto Rico itself to also be able to witness this perplexing state of mind that this undecided political status has created. Even today there are those on the island that seem to feel a need to tell people that they are Puerto Ricans and not something else. While on the other side of the debate there are then those who want to be more American than Uncle Sam himself.

While all of this occurs, the three main political parties have been in a never-ending electoral campaign that has continued since before the 2004 elections. With the island government having its first experience with a divided government, the parties have not felt the need to cease electioneering and begin governing. Consequently, Puerto Rico’s social and fiscal problems continue their downward spiral. Puerto Rico continues to lose it most important resource, its own people. With more Puerto Ricans now living in the mainland United States than on the island, it is perplexing how the parties haven’t seemed to notice that while they continue to argue about who gets to administer the colony, more residents decide to leave.

Perhaps Puerto Rico’s salvation lies in the dissolution of all the political parties presently struggling to maintain power. Perhaps only then could Puerto Ricans finally unite and demand from Congress the necessary legislation that would put this centuries-old colonial dilemma on a “fast track” to an as-of-yet elusive solution.

In October 2000, in one of his final acts as president, Clinton signed an
executive order creating the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s
Status. The task force aims to keep an ongoing discussion with Puerto Rico’s
governor, political parties, and other groups that advocate a change to the
island’s status. In April 2001, the Bush administration adopted Executive
Order 13183 and began appointing the Task Force’s members.  Ruben
Barrales is the Chairman of the task force and if you wish to contact him write
to his email  jburke@who.eop.gov.  The
Report By The President’s Tasks Force on Puerto Rico’s
Status is now out.   Follow the link below to read the full report. 

“Report By The President’s Task Force On Puerto Rico’s
Status”
(PDF -
1M)

Other information and links:
Presidential
Executive Orders
Congressman
Joseph Crowley
Congressman
Mike Rogers
Congressman
Jerry Weller
Senator
John McCain letter to President Bush
Senators
Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici letter to President Bush
Senators
Bob Graham and Mary Landrieu letter to President Bush

Flash! A leading Puerto Rican legal scholar has recently published a Law Review article in the University of Chicago Law Review under the title “Untied States: American Expansion and Territorial Deannexation”. This article is sure to cause shock waves among students of Puerto Rico’s political status and the issue of the decolonization, to say nothing of the political parties in Puerto Rico. It will no doubt have a long and lasting impact and serves as a precursor of the long awaited White House task force report which is due in December.
Here is your opportunity to read it in full (PDF – 2.3M)

Recently, the Congressional Research group issued a report on the Puerto Rico status dilemma. Although the report did not offer anything new to the debate it did provide an outline of Puerto Rico�s colonial history while under U.S. control, past and recent efforts by island and mainland elected officials to resolve the undetermined political status, and a short description of the various status options available. The information was presented in an effort to shed light upon recent developments concerning the resolution of the status issue.

First, it discussed a historic move made by the Puerto Rico Legislature in March and April of 2005 through its debate and approval of legislation which called upon the President and U.S. Congress to express their commitment to resolving the political status issue. Second, the report informed readers about the upcoming proposal by the President�s Task Force on Puerto Rico which is expected to be presented by December 2005. More importantly, the report written by Keith Bea, brought up extremely valid points regarding why the political status of Puerto Rico has yet to be resolved and the responsibility both legislators on the island and mainland have towards making the issue move forward.

Resident Commissioner Luis Fortu�o has already taken the initiative to send copies of the CRS to House and Senate leaders and chairmen of committees dealing with island status. In his mission to inform others regarding the importance of this civil and social rights issue Fortu�o acknowledged that although educating one another is very important it is not all that is needed. He contends in order for the process to move along bilateral agreements must be made between the people of Puerto Rico and Congress. But, this is a reality that has been recognized time and time again during discussions regarding status. What will make this recommendation different this time around? What will it take for the people of Puerto Rico to break political gridlocks? What must be done for Congress to decide to bring an end to years of inaction? When will the people of Puerto Rico be given the opportunity to decide between non-colonial, non-territorial alternatives?