One thing was certain after an April 27 congressional hearing on the status of Puerto Rico — the majority of those who testified agreed that Puerto Rico is a U.S. colony.
The public hearing, held before the House Committee on Resources, considered what the future of this Caribbean nation should be. Specifically, the hearing discussed a report of the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status, originally set up by President Clinton and which has continued under Bush.
The task force’s report, released last December, draws a number of conclusions that underline the island’s colonial status. Among these is that, under the U.S. Constitution’s territorial clause, Congress can unilaterally change the status and laws of Puerto Rico up to its constitution, which was itself approved by the U.S. Congress.
It points out that U.S. citizenship for those born in Puerto Rico is statutory and not constitutional, and thus can be removed by an act of Congress.
The report proposes a two-step process in which, through a plebiscite, U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico would first decide if they wish to retain the island’s “Commonwealth” status. If the current status is rejected, then a vote would follow to choose between becoming a U.S. state or an independent nation. The final decision, however, would nonetheless be made by Congress.
A bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.) and Puerto Rico’s non-voting delegate to Congress, Luis Fortuño (R-P.R.), is favored by the pro-statehood forces and by the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP). The PIP reasons that Congress, when confronted with making a choice between giving Puerto Rico independence or accepting it as a Spanish-speaking state, would bridle at the latter option. Independence, therefore, would be the only option.
In testimony before the committee, Rubén Berríos, chairman of the PIP, said, “The inclusion of the ‘statehood’ option in any bill foreshadows its legislative demise.” He added, “If Congress is willing to build a wall along its southern border, would it seriously entertain the notion of incorporating a territory made up of 4 million Latin Americans?” Berríos criticized the report for even including statehood as an option. MORE
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/10994/1/370
The public hearing, held before the House Committee on Resources, considered what the future of this Caribbean nation should be. Specifically, the hearing discussed a report of the President’s Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status, originally set up by President Clinton and which has continued under Bush.
The task force’s report, released last December, draws a number of conclusions that underline the island’s colonial status. Among these is that, under the U.S. Constitution’s territorial clause, Congress can unilaterally change the status and laws of Puerto Rico up to its constitution, which was itself approved by the U.S. Congress.
It points out that U.S. citizenship for those born in Puerto Rico is statutory and not constitutional, and thus can be removed by an act of Congress.
The report proposes a two-step process in which, through a plebiscite, U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico would first decide if they wish to retain the island’s “Commonwealth” status. If the current status is rejected, then a vote would follow to choose between becoming a U.S. state or an independent nation. The final decision, however, would nonetheless be made by Congress.
A bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.) and Puerto Rico’s non-voting delegate to Congress, Luis Fortuño (R-P.R.), is favored by the pro-statehood forces and by the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP). The PIP reasons that Congress, when confronted with making a choice between giving Puerto Rico independence or accepting it as a Spanish-speaking state, would bridle at the latter option. Independence, therefore, would be the only option.
In testimony before the committee, Rubén Berríos, chairman of the PIP, said, “The inclusion of the ‘statehood’ option in any bill foreshadows its legislative demise.” He added, “If Congress is willing to build a wall along its southern border, would it seriously entertain the notion of incorporating a territory made up of 4 million Latin Americans?” Berríos criticized the report for even including statehood as an option. MORE
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/10994/1/370