People born in Puerto Rico have been U.S. citizens since 1917, but theirs is a statutory, not constitutional citizenship. That is, Congress could rescind Puerto Rico’s U.S. citizenship at any time. There is no evidence that any current members of Congress are planning to propose this, but it does mean that U.S. citizenship for Puerto Ricans is secure only under statehood. Once Puerto Rico is a state, citizenship is protected under the U.S. Constitution. There is no evidence that Congress would allow an independent Republic of Puerto Rico, with or without a Compact of Free Association, to keep U,.S. citizenship. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that Congress would not allow this.
Does U.S. citizenship matter?
The few Puerto Ricans who actually want independence should not care about U.S. citizenship. They want Puerto Rico to be a separate country and do not feel allegiance to the United States. Most Puerto Ricans, however, consider U.S. citizenship very important. In a recent poll, 85% of people living on the Island judged U.S. citizenship either very important or(65%) or important (25%). Only 6% said it was not important.
And fewer than a third of members of the Independence Party said U.S. citizenship was not important.
So, yes, U.S. citizenship matters to Puerto Ricans. 90% have family and friends living in the states, and like being able to travel freely around the United States, something they could very well lose under independence. Most Puerto Ricans are also patriotic U.S. citizens, just as much as the people living in the states. Beyond the emotional aspects, there are real economic advantages to U.S. citizenship.
The economic value of U.S. citizenship
As a U.S. citizen, you can travel, study, work, and live freely in the entire United States. You can go to college in Florida, take a job in Michigan, and vacation in Arizona before heading back to Puerto Rico. You don’t need any papers and there are no official complications to deal with. If you were not a U.S. citizen, here’s what would change from an economic perspective:
- You would have to apply for and receive a student visa. The F‑1 student visa–related fees: SEVIS I‑901 fee is about $350, plus consular visa application fee around $185, so roughly $535 up front just to be allowed to study.
- You would have to pay foreign student tuition, which is much higher than in-state or even out-of-state tuition. Over 4 years, that’s a difference of about $77,000 just in tuition and basic fees.
- You would need to own and carry documents proving that you had permission to live in the United States at all times. If you forgot your papers and couldn’t show them, you could be fined, arrested, imprisoned, or even deported, all of which are costly and unpleasant experiences.
- In order to accept the job, you would need to receive a work visa. This usually means your employer would have to prove that you have special skills they can’t find in a U.S. citizen. Lottery registration is currently about $215.00, the base filing fee is $460–780.00, plus $500.00 fraud fee, plus $750–1,500.00 training fee depending on employer size. Some petitions also trigger a $4,000.00 surcharge. Employers also have significant costs, typically about $1,700–2,800 before legal fees. The employer costs would make you a less desirable employee than U.S. citizens.
- If you left the job before taking a vacation and heading back to Puerto Rico, you would have to obtain a tourist visa in order to stay in the United States. You might even have to leave the country to arrange for the B-1 visa. There is also a fee of about $185.00.
All in all, you’d be looking at about $80,000 extra for school and additional thousands to accept a job in the United States. All of that is on top of the non‑monetary costs: time, uncertainty, and the risk of losing everything because of a paperwork lapse.
For the entrepreneur
Let’s go on with our hypothetical example. let’s say you return to Puerto Rico and start your own business. As a citizen living in a U.S. territory, you’re eligible for lots of grants and assistance from the federal government. Through agencies like the SBA, USDA, and EDA, entrepreneurs are supported as part of the nation’s efforts to develop economies across the nation. Key opportunities include the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), Rural Business Development Grants, technical assistance for microenterprises, and export expansion grants. If you’re working your way to success from the ground up, you might appreciate the federal benefits U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico receive in the way of nutrition assistance and medical support while you build your business.
Your connections from your years studying and working in the states could help you find investors from the mainland. They will feel confident, because your company will be following federal laws, you’ll be trading in U.S. currency, and your labor pool is mostly made up of U.S. citizens. They’ll also have the benefit of “Made in America” labels, and so will you.
The stability of your position also helps with credit and your own confidence in long-range plans and business decisions. It isn’t possible to specify dollar amounts for the advantages, but they could be substantial.
Would statehood help?
Certainly, statehood would improve the outlook. First of all, it will provide permanent, irrevocable U.S. citizenship. It will give you a voice in the federal government, since you will be able to vote in U.S. presidential elections and to elect senators and multiple voting Members of Congress. You will finally have a say in laws and decisions that affect you and your business. These factors will make an enormous difference.
Every territory that has become a state — and there have been 32 so far — has been much more prosperous as a state than it was as a territory. Some faced famine when they were territories and are able to now to provide comfortable lives for their people. Puerto Rico can expect to see the same kind of growth and development.
No responses yet