Puerto Rico governor formally requests US statehood

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CMC)—Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González has signed a resolution formally requesting that United States (US) President Donald Trump and Congress admit the Caribbean territory as the 51st state of the United States. González, who signed the measure on Friday, said the move fulfilled an election commitment to prioritise statehood and reflected the wishes of Puerto Ricans expressed in previous non-binding referenda. “With this signing, we fulfill the commitment of our government program to prioritise statehood and honour the will of our people expressed at the ballot box,” she said. The governor, who leads the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (NPP), said House Joint Resolution 391 establishes an official request by the Puerto Rican Government for admission to the United States on equal terms with existing states. She said previous efforts had focused on communicating the results of plebiscites to Washington, rather than submitting legislation formally requesting admission. “Within the framework of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we take our request for full equality to those who have the power to act,” González said. “We will continue working in Puerto Rico and Washington to advance it.” Puerto Rico has been a United States territory since 1898, and its political status remains a longstanding source of division. While the NPP advocates statehood, the opposition Popular Democratic Party (PPD) supports maintaining the island’s commonwealth relationship with the United States, while the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) favours independence. González, accompanied by government officials and NPP lawmakers, maintained that the resolution reflected the will of the people, despite continuing opposition to statehood. “This is the time to define ourselves. The time for decolonisation has arrived,” she said. The governor noted that Puerto Ricans, who have been United States citizens since 1917, have contributed to the country’s development and served in its armed forces. “It is now up to Congress to heed that will and exercise its constitutional authority to admit Puerto Rico as a state of the Union,” she said. Puerto Rico has held several non-binding referenda on its political status, but Congress has not approved legislation establishing a binding process to determine the territory’s future. Previous congressional proposals have included statehood, independence and sovereignty through free association as possible alternatives. However, the latest resolution specifically seeks admission as a state. Under the US Constitution, Congress has the authority to admit new states, and the resolution does not itself change Puerto Rico’s political status. The Trump administration has not announced a position on the latest request.