Puerto Rico Open Your Eyes15 Kesä 2025

Puerto Ricans born on the island are U.S. citizens by statute, not by the Constitution ?

Puerto Ricans born on the island are U.S. citizens by statute, not by the Constitution — and that distinction is extremely important.

🇺🇸 1. How Puerto Ricans Got U.S. Citizenship

Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens through the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917, a congressional statute — not a constitutional amendment or birthright clause like the 14th Amendment.

⚖️ 2. Is Puerto Rican Citizenship Protected Under the U.S. Constitution?

No, not fully.

The 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to those "born or naturalized in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction," has not been definitively ruled to apply to Puerto Rico by the U.S. Supreme Court.
That means Congress has the power to revoke or alter Puerto Ricans' statutory citizenship through legislation.

🚨 3. Can Puerto Ricans Lose Their U.S. Citizenship?

Technically, yes — if Congress chose to change the law.

Because Puerto Rican citizenship is statutory, not constitutional, Congress could, in theory, repeal or modify the law that grants citizenship to island-born Puerto Ricans.
This has been discussed in legal and academic circles, especially around debates over independence or status change.

However, this would be:

Politically explosive
Potentially challenged in courts
Highly unlikely unless Puerto Rico were to vote for independence, at which point citizenship status would have to be redefined.

🛑 4. Contrast with the 50 States

In the 50 U.S. states:

Citizenship is protected by the 14th Amendment — you cannot lose it by legislative decision.
It’s a constitutional right.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(98)

The Empty Chair: Who Represented Puerto Rico in 1898?

Most of us have heard about the Treaty of Paris, but very few have ever stopped to ask a simple question:Who was sitting at the negotiating table... and who wasn't?In this podcast, we examine the orig...

5 Heinä 10min

Ser puertorriqueño depende del lugar donde naciste... o de quién eres?

Durante años, muchos puertorriqueños de la diáspora hemos escuchado que no somos "verdaderos" puertorriqueños porque no nacimos en la isla.Pero cuando Puerto Rico enfrenta huracanes, terremotos y otra...

5 Heinä 1min

The Forgotten Champion of Puerto Rico's Workers

The Forgotten Spaniard Who Fought for Puerto Rico's WorkersWho was Santiago Iglesias Pantín, and why have so few Puerto Ricans heard his story?Born in Spain, Santiago Iglesias Pantín arrived in Puerto...

5 Heinä 11min

Are We Asking the Wrong Question? More Than 35 Opportunities... Why Is Puerto Rico Still a Territory?

Are We Asking the Wrong Question? More Than 35 Opportunities... Why Is Puerto Rico Still a Territory?For more than 128 years, Puerto Rico has remained an unincorporated territory of the United States....

5 Heinä 15min

Are We Asking the Wrong Question About Puerto Rico?

Are we asking the wrong question about Puerto Rico's future?For decades, the debate over Puerto Rico's political status has centered on statehood, independence, and the current territorial status. But...

5 Heinä 17min

Puerto Rico: Independence in the Last Seven Status Plebiscites

Puerto Rico: Independence in the Last Seven Status PlebiscitesHas the growing visibility of Puerto Rico's independence movement translated into broader electoral support?In this episode of Puerto Rico...

5 Heinä 5min

Puerto Rico: La Independencia en los Últimos Siete Plebiscitos

Puerto Rico: La Independencia en los Últimos Siete PlebiscitosQué revelan realmente los resultados oficiales de los últimos siete plebiscitos de estatus sobre la opción de independencia?En este video ...

5 Heinä 6min

Puerto Rico: ¿Qué opción ofrece el mejor futuro?

Cómo debe Puerto Rico evaluar su futuro político?Debe basar esa decisión en emociones, en la historia o en una comparación seria de las oportunidades y los riesgos que presenta cada alternativa de est...

4 Heinä 19min