Puerto Rico received U.S. citizenship in 1917 and finally became a commonwealth in 1952. Puerto Rico is fully supported by the U.S. but the people do not have the same rights as the people from America, such as the voting right but they are allowed to fight in the U.S. military. Some of the pros of Puerto Rico becoming a U.S. state are that it would improve the quality of life for Puerto Ricans, most of them live under the
In a recent study, 61% of Puerto Rican voters were in favor of being recognized as an independent nation. Even though they are legal United State citizens, they have absolutely no voting rights, no federal medicare/medicaid rights, and no federal tax return rights. For this reason it is not right for Puerto Ricans to be looked at as imperfect citizens. In addition Puerto Rico has a member in Congress, and has completely no voting rights but is only there to express opinions. As of now the United States can deny access to Puerto Rico from any national law they choose because they are not a state.
Puerto Rico is a beautiful and diverse island with a rich history, culture, and people. Currently, Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States of America but for many years there have been proposals for Puerto Rico to be granted statehood. Puerto Rico was acquired by the United States from Spain after the 1898 Spanish-American War and there have been notions for independence and statehood since the 1950s. As a territory of the US, Puerto Ricans are U. S citizens by birth but they do not have full rights like other states do. Puerto Ricans can vote in presidential elections but have no representation in Congress or the Senate and dont receive many financial benefits stateside citizens receive.
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) (Puerto Rico Statehood Society 1) has been a U.S. neo-colony since 1898 when the island was colonized as a result of the Spanish losing the Spanish-American War. For 118 years Puerto Rico has occupied a peculiar status within the U.S. Political system. The United States has never had an established colonial policy and nearly all acquired territories eventually have been incorporated into statehood. The island remains an "unincorporated territory," belonging to, but not being a part of, the United States. Yet Puerto Rican 's, as people, have been American citizens since 1917.
Puerto Ricans are considered American citizens, though, are not afforded the same rights that come with statehood. Such
Mass immigration has been a very complicated debate topic in the United States, especially in recent years. Mass immigration has some pros and some consI believe that Mass immigration’s cons heavily outweigh the pros. Immigration, especially in the United States, has been a thing for a really long time, so it is not new to us at all. However, in recent years, there have been far more immigrants coming to the United States. While moderate immigration has clear pros for the economy, mass immigration can have some negative impacts.
Juan who is 72 years old was crossing the border and he described it this way: “I ran and ran and ran, and I fell down and continued running; they almost caught me several times but I continued running because I was thinking of my family. I had to reach the United States, and I had to make enough money to feed my people. You cannot maintain a family here in Mexico” (Roman). For many years, immigrants have always contributed substantially to one’s country and they are both, a formidable engine to the economy and they have enriched the country’s culture, so why deport them now?
About sixty-eight million immigrants have been added to the United States since 1970, and it is estimated that 130 million people will be added over the next fifty years (migrationpolicy.org). Every year hundreds people from around the world migrate to the United States and leave their homeland. People that immigrate to the United States have many different motivations. Some immigrant move to the USA hoping for having chance for better life; others are refugees that escaped from civil war in their home country, or any difficulties that led them to immigrate. Many people all around the world believe the United States is best place to live.
Throughout the history of the United States there has been a flow of immigrants who migrate to the United States for a better opportunity. Although they were initially welcomed, immigration became a problem, and policies were placed as a means to place limitations on immigrants who enter the U.S. In this Critical Issues course, students covered and analyzed three articles relating to immigration in the United States. The articles are “The New Politics of Immigration: “Balanced-Budget Conservatism” and the Symbolism of Proposition 187” by Calavita (1996), “The War on the Border” by Kil and Menjivar (1996), and “Racial Profiling and Immigration Law Enforcement by Romero (2006). All three of these articles touch base on the immigration situation
As a Puerto Rican citizen, I do not fit in to that part of our history very much. In the late 1800’s, Puerto Rico was not a U.S. territory; instead, it formed part of the Spanish empire. It wasn’t until the end of the Spanish-American war that Puerto Rico became a U.S. property. Even then (after being conquered by the U.S. in the year 1900), the common American belief was that Puerto Ricans weren’t inherently equal any more than they thought that blacks were racially equal to whites. Rather, because the American public wouldn’t consent to treating Puerto Ricans as equals or granting them citizenship, the U.S. had trouble keeping the island as an imperial possession.
People migrate to the United States of America for many reasons, whether they are escaping persecution, war, or they just want to live a better life. In 2017, over one million people came to the US. About 72% of Americans think that immigration is a good thing (Felter and Renwick). Immigration can be both beneficial and detrimental for this country because it brings in new culture, increases the economy, but with new people coming in, they bring fear to Americans.
Puerto Ricans have learned to cope with the hardships that arrive with discrimination by voicing their opinions out to others. They have proclaimed that they cannot fully assimilate into the Anglo culture because they want to remain loyal to their native soil. Thus, many have taken the time to cut all ties that connect them to the dominant white culture in order to fully devote their time to creating organizations that support all of their ideals. Puerto Ricans believe that they should have a strong bilingual community that will help their children learn to embrace the same cultural ideals that they have in mind. 9.
Immigration has been a hot topic not only here, in the United States, but also in other countries. Illegal immigration, in particular has caused many debates to citizens, on legal issues. The idea of not being able to be a documented citizen runs many risks to the government. One of those risks would include not being able to track all of the undocumented citizens. If you aren’t able to track the undocumented citizens, then how are they able to pay taxes, get a social security number, and allowed to have rights that citizens have.
In Puerto Rico’s first days as an American colony, Congress didn’t want to give its occupants the impression that they were held equal to those of the commonwealth, as affirmed by Font-Guzman (2017), professor of law and conflict studies, and director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program at Creighton University Graduate School. Thus, Senator Foraker granted them their own government and instead of adopting Puerto Ricans as their own, they were given Puerto Rican citizenship. If they wished to become U.S. citizens they had to endure the naturalization process, the same as foreign immigrants. From that year on, hundreds of bills about Puerto Rico’s citizenship status were debated, periodically changing the extent of the application of human
9. Migration is a personal choice for all. Some individuals may choose to leave a place for a new and better way of life, or may be tired of the place they have been living for so many years. There has been many instances of migration both in and out of the United States for several years. In the 19th century, many individuals chose to leave the crowded east coast and move to the middle of the country.
