I don’t think I’ve been asked this question more in my life. Some people think Puerto Rico is a country, some think it’s a state, some know the real answer. But ever since I moved from my home home to Georgia Tech, every conversation starts with a “What’s your major?” followed by a “Where are you from?” and that’s where the confusion starts. I’m not the first to try and explain Puerto Rico’s status. I certainly won’t be the last. I hope my writing answers the question of “Am I international?”
The answer is a bit more complicated than it seems. Legally, Puerto Rico is completely unique, being a Free-Associated State, or a commonwealth. This means that the Constitution applies only partially to us until we move to the mainland US. Apart from the main language being Spanish, a lot of things are common between the United States and Puerto Rico. We also have McDonald’s and Chick Fil A, a division of powers, and a two-party system that’s not working as it should (although this is changing quicker in the island). I get why most people don’t understand Puerto Rico, since it’s really not covered in history classes, and we only appear on the news when a hurricane happens.
But it shouldn’t be this way. Puerto Rico has produced international sensations such as Bad Bunny, Roberto Clemente, Tito Trinidad, and passionate politicians and thought leaders such as Eugenio María de Hostos, José de Diego, and many more leaders in a wide array of industries and talents.
Our biggest export is talent.
After various negotiations with Spain, which had barely any leverage to try and keep their colonies, Puerto Rico was given to the US. We must remember that the United States had just started becoming a global power, and they had just won a war President McKinley strongly advised against. This meant that the plans for drawing up how to manage the colony were innovative at the time. Some congressmen advocated for statehood and some for independence, but the matter was settled with the Supreme Court. In the Insular Cases, the court determined that Puerto Ricans were unfit to have their own government since they were considered “alien races” and “savage tribes”.
Puerto Rico accounted for 16.4% of the US pharmaceutical and medicine industry.
The cases are considered legal and official to this day. The cases limited the scope of the Constitution to the territories of the US, limiting its access to critical rights. Legally, they were to be considered “unincorporated states”, meaning that they had to request a transition to an incorporated state, which has to be passed by Congress, in order to then go through the processes of becoming a state. Puerto Rico became an associated free state under the governorship of Luis Muñoz Marín, granting the island some benefits of being a state, such as its population gaining citizenship, among other benefits. The idea was controversial at the time, so much so that citizens advocating for independence fired upon congresspeople, President Truman, and the governor. This outrage and violence were also caused by the fact that the US bombed protesters/citizens in the island and shot at them, such as in the famous Ponce Massacre.
Even with the passing of the Free-Associated State, we are still subject to the Jones Law, which forces all imports/exports to pass through US ships. This means that, for example, essential drugs produced in Puerto Rico are packaged and shipped to Florida just to be shipped back to the island. . It’s even more ironic considering that Puerto Rico accounted for 16.4% of the US pharmaceutical and medicine industry (with a total valuation of 109 billion), more than any state. It also means that it was near impossible to get international aid when events such as Hurricane María occurred. We must also consider that the United States has offered a slew of subsidies and benefits to Puerto Rico, which has grown its economy.
The island has seen a mostly bi-partisan political system, with one side advocating to stay as we are now and the other for statehood. Recently though, there has been a re-growth in various other views. “Proyecto Dignidad” advocates to follow religious ideals, “Victoria Ciudadana” hopes for reform instead of focusing on the status issue, and the party advocating for Puerto Rico to become an independent nation has also seen growth in the 21st century. The upcoming elections may just be the closest ones yet, since the Victoria Ciudadana and Independency parties have created an alliance to garner more votes.
Currently, the biggest debates on the island are regarding its electrical infrastructure and its tax laws. LUMA, a private corporation, recently gained a contract to service the distribution of electricity across the island. This has come with multiple consecutive hikes in cost, as well as more unreliable electricity, meaning thousands of people that need electricity for food, medical reasons, education, and otherwise won’t have access to it randomly for days at a time. Local laws 20 and 22, now part of act 60, give major tax advantages to US citizens that move to the island. This is why influencers such as Logan/Jake Paul and various multi-millionaires have moved to the island, raising prices for all.
Puerto Rico has won 2 gold, 2 silver, and 8 bronze medals at the Olympics.
This has begged the question if them moving has given citizens any economic prosperity, or if it has caused higher competitions for local entrepreneurs and the middle-class.
Puerto Rico has a near-limitless amount of talented people. Roberto Clemente was the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to win a World Series as a starting position player, at a time when racism was still rampant. He died on New Years Eve while travelling to Nicaragua to deliver earthquake victims essential aid. Bad Bunny has been Billboard Artist #1 for 8 weeks, had 94 songs in the Hot 100. Across all platforms, he’s reached over 84 billion streams, and he brought the first Bugatti to Puerto Rico. He’s kept his feet in the ground though, as he protested for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló when it was leaked that the governor had made fun of Puerto Rican citizens in a private chat with other top government officials. He also has his own foundation Good Bunny, has collaborated with Fundación Rimas (the foundation of his record label), and helped for various other causes.
Tito Trinidad won multiple world championships as a boxer in three different weight classes. Orlando Bravo is the first Puerto Rican born billionaire, with an estimated net worth of 9.8 billion. Richard Carrión Jr. was the president of Puerto Rico’s largest bank, pivoting to philanthropy and serving on the board of the International Olympic Committee. The list could go on forever of Puerto Ricans who have represented the 100 by 35-mile island on a global scale.
As you can see, Puerto Rico is clearly complicated. This article doesn’t want you to be swayed one way or the other. The only goal is to spark the curiosity to learn more about the US and its relationship with Puerto Rico. My point is that even with all the issues surrounding Puerto Rico’s current political and economic landscape, the talent we export worldwide has placed a mark in the world that will never be removed. So, to answer the original question, I’m not international, but sometimes I feel like it. I’m just Puerto Rican.
Alejandro González Betancourt
1st Year Business Student @ Georgia Tech
The Flâneur Collective 
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