Statehood has been the winning option in every status vote held in Puerto Rico in this century: in 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2024. It is unquestionable that Puerto Rico voters want statehood from among the viable options for Puerto Rico’s political status. Still, there are some who do not want statehood. Having called for self-determination and seen that the majority on the Island have determined for themselves that they want statehood, they have to resort to some tricky moves to argue against it. One of the tricks is to try to make people scared of statehood.
Let’s look at some of the claims used to frighten voters.
Will you lose self-determination?
If Congress goes ahead and admits Puerto Rico as a state — which it could do tomorrow with a simple majority, according to law — will you lose your chance of self-determination? Obviously not. In four democratically conducted votes, voters have chosen statehood. That is self-determination. The determination was made by Puerto Rico voters themselves, living and voting in Puerto Rico.
Will you lose the Spanish language?
Spanish is spoken by more than 60 million people living in the states, as well as in many other nations worldwide. This language is in no danger. Compare that with Basque, a language with just under one million speakers worldwide. The Basque people have lived for centuries in a region divided politically between Spain and France. Their language is unrelated to all other languages spoken in the world, and Spain has at times worked to suppress the language. Yet the speakers have not lost their language; about 80% of Basque people use the Basque language along with Spanish, French, or foreign languages like English. The example of Basque shows that a language does not require political separation for survival.
The idea that Spanish could be eradicated is extremely unrealistic.
Will Puerto Rico lose its culture?
Each state has its own culture, style of music, dance, and visual arts, linguistic characteristics, and customs. While you may not agree that Puerto Rican culture is too robust to be threatened by statehood, you can see that Puerto Rican culture continues to thrive in Puerto Rican families and communities in the states. Again, the idea that Puerto Rican culture would be threatened by equal rights and full citizenship is highly unrealistic.
Could Puerto Rico lose sovereignty?
Puerto Rico has never had sovereignty, having been first a colony of Spain and then a possession of the United States. Puerto Rico still does not have sovereignty, as the Supreme Court made clear. “The states are separate sovereigns from the federal government and from one another,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the Sanchez Valle case. “A municipality cannot count as a sovereign distinct from a state, because it receives its power, in the first instance, from the state. And most pertinent here, this court concluded in the early 20th century that U.S. territories —including an earlier incarnation of Puerto Rico itself — are not sovereigns distinct from the United States.”
As a state, Puerto Rico would be sovereign. An independent nation of Puerto Rico would also be sovereign, but a Free Associated State of Puerto Rico would have to give up some of that sovereignty, since the U.S. requires military control of the COFA states.
Will a state of Puerto Rico collect 70% of workers’ incomes in income taxes?
We’ve discussed this thoroughly. Click through to get all the math and the facts. Short answer: no. This is actually a very silly claim. Most Puerto Rican families will pay less in taxes in a state of Puerto Rico, though beneficiaries of Act 60 are likely to have to pay something closer to a fair share.
Separatists who try to frighten people away from statehood with tax tricks conveniently don’t mention that U.S. citizens living overseas are required to pay U.S. income taxes. An independent nation of Puerto Rico probably could not keep U.S. citizenship, but if they could, they would be required to file income tax returns.
Could a state of Puerto Rico field an Olympic team?
This is actually up to the International Olympics Committee. In the past, some parts of countries (including Puerto Rico) have applied to have teams. For example, Hawaii applied to have a surfing team. The Committee did not consider the request…but Congress didn’t weigh in. Congress is not in charge of the Olympics. Some countries have made objections. For example, Spain objected to Gibralter having a separate team, and the Committee agreed, even though Gibralter currently belongs to the United Kingdom. China objected to Hong Kong and Taiwan’s teams, but the Committee disagreed in those cases.
In short, it’s not up to the federal government. On the other hand, Puerto Rican athletes can and do play on the USA team, the most decorated team in the world.
What about Miss Universe?
Guadeloupe was not allowed to participate in the 1985 Miss Universe pageant. France (of which Guadeloupe is a state) objected, and the organizers went along with France. Guadeloupe boycotted the contest in 1985, won when Miss Guadeloupe competed as Miss France the next year, and was allowed to compete separately again in 2024. This shows that, just like the Olympics, the decisions are made by the Miss Universe organizers, with input from the nations. The decision would not be made by the federal government, it is not covered in the U.S. constitution, and it certainly would not be an automatic consequence of statehood.
There is no need to be scared of statehood. Indeed, since statehood offers the full protection of the U.S. Constitution, full participation in American democracy, and equal rights, we should welcome statehood. Please reach out to your legislators and let them know you want them on the right side of history.
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