Puerto Rico formally applies to become a U.S. state

Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez Friday signed a resolution that formally requests U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. Congress to admit the island as a state of the Union, on equal terms with others.

“With this signing, we fulfill the commitment of our government program to prioritize statehood and honor the will of our people expressed at the ballot box,” González said, alluding to the results of the numerous non-binding referendums held.

The New Progressive Party (NPP), led by González, defends so-called statehood, annexation to the United States, a country of which Puerto Rico is now a Commonwealth, a status many consider colonial.

• Other political groups, such as the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), advocate maintaining the current status or independence, respectively.

“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. We will continue working in Puerto Rico and Washington to advance it,” the governor stressed.

According to González, House Joint Resolution 391 represents a different mechanism from previous efforts by making the application for admission as a state an official request of the Government of Puerto Rico.

In this regard, he explained that the results of past plebiscites had been reported, but no approved legislation had been sent to the federal government officially requesting statehood.

“This is the time to define ourselves. The time for decolonization has arrived,” added the governor, who indicated that this is the same mechanism that states used to join the U.S.

Says petition is born from the people

Accompanied by NPP legislators and senators and secretaries of her government, González insisted that this request comes from “the will” of the people, although part of society does not agree with this option.

The U.S. Congress must decide

“Puerto Ricans have contributed to the development of our nation, we have defended its freedoms and we have fulfilled the responsibilities of American citizenship. 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,” he added.

The status change is at the center of Puerto Rico’s politics, which has long sought to get the U.S. Congress to pass a binding referendum for Puerto Ricans to decide their future.

However, these projects, which were never approved, included the different formulas of statehood, sovereignty in free association, and independence, and did not demand, as in the current case, only admission as a state under full law.

In Washington, President Trump has not commented on Puerto Rico, but he has made clear his interest in integrating Canada, Greenland, or even Venezuela into the United States.