George Laws Garcia shares something in this video that many Americans don’t know. “Despite being U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans living on the Island do not have the same rights, guarantees, or protections as everyone else in the 50 states.”
Laws Garcia goes on to explain that the U.S. Civil Rights Commission has concluded that Puerto Ricans are not treated equally.
The Insular Cases
The Insular Cases are a series of Supreme Court decisions from the early 20th century. These decisions related to the new island territories the United States had gained at the end of the 19th century. It was these cases that gave us the idea of unincorporated territories which were not fully protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Although Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the Insular Cases “have no foundation in the Constitution and deserve no place in our law,” the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights determined that these cases continue to affect Puerto Rico and to hold the residents of the Island in an unfair position.
“The Insular Cases can claim support in academic work of the period, ugly racial stereotypes, and the theories of social Darwinists,” Gorsuch went on to say, “but they have no home in our Constitution or its original understanding.”
The solution
There have been many efforts by the courts to deal with the inequities faced by Puerto Rico, and there have been a variety of attempts to come up with small changes that could partially fix some of the problems. The Civil Right Commission, however, after diligent study of the situation, proposed a list of actions Congress should take:
- Enable a valid plebiscite to address the issue of Puerto Rico’s political status under the direction of Congress;
- Draft, along with representatives of each of the status options, clear and precise definitions so that the people of Puerto Rico can exercise their right to self-determination in an informed manner.
- Request the President of the United States to reestablish the White House Task Force on Puerto Rico with the representation from residents of Puerto Rico to present alternatives for the full recognition of the rights of American citizens residing in Puerto Rico.
Court cases and piecemeal attempts to shore up the position of Puerto Rico will not solve the glaring inequality of U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico. The problems caused by the classification of Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory cannot be resolved without changing the status of the Island. And, while we are of course in favor of self-determination, the truth is that the voters of Puerto Rico have already voted four times for statehood. These democratically held status votes have been adjusted and arranged in various ways to satisfy people who question them, but every time, the majority choose statehood. Puerto Rico has already chosen. Congress should take action and admit Puerto Rico as a state. Tell your legislators to support statehood for Puerto Rico.
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