Governor Jenniffer González has formally asked United States President Donald Trump and Congress to admit Puerto Rico as the 51st state, renewing the Caribbean territory’s longstanding campaign for full statehood.
González signed the resolution on Friday, October 16, saying the move fulfilled an election commitment by her administration and reflected the wishes expressed by Puerto Rican voters in previous status referenda.
- Advertisement -
“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 measure, House Joint Resolution 391, establishes an official request from Puerto Rico’s government for admission to the United States on equal terms with the existing states. González said previous efforts had largely involved sending the results of status votes to Washington rather than making a formal legislative request for statehood.
“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,” the governor said, adding that her administration would continue pursuing the initiative in Puerto Rico and Washington.
González leads the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (NPP), but the island remains divided over its political future. The Popular Democratic Party supports maintaining Puerto Rico’s commonwealth relationship with the United States, while the Puerto Rican Independence Party advocates independence.
Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898, and its residents have held American citizenship since 1917. The island has conducted several non-binding referenda on its political status, but Congress has not established a binding process to determine its future.
“This is the time to define ourselves. The time for decolonisation has arrived,” González said, arguing that Puerto Ricans should receive full equality within the United States.
Under the US Constitution, Congress has the authority to admit new states. The resolution, however, does not automatically change Puerto Rico’s status, and congressional action would be required for the island to become a state.
Previous proposals concerning Puerto Rico’s future have considered statehood, independence and sovereignty through free association. The latest resolution specifically seeks statehood, while the Trump administration has not announced a position on the request.
The governor’s initiative therefore marks a formal step in the island’s push for admission, but its political status remains unchanged pending action by the US federal government.
