PUERTO RICO NEEDS YOU MORE THAN EVER

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez,

I agree with your view on Puerto Rico that "we must end the island's colonial status," which is why as your constituent I'm urging you to join the top elected leaders in Puerto Rico in support of a compromise bill that will give voters in Puerto Rico a direct choice between the non-territory options.

Every day that passes without a resolution to Puerto Rico's territory status more people leave the island placing both its present and future in peril. This has to stop, and you can be part of the solution.

We have a real window of opportunity for Congress to take action on decolonizing Puerto Rico, but the window is closing fast, and there is no time to waste.

I support statehood for Puerto Rico, and I urge you to quickly reach a compromise to allow voters in Puerto Rico to choose directly between the non-territory options. Don’t allow Congress to continue perpetuating the injustice of territorial colonialism any more. Time is running out, please take action now!

Sen. Schumer,

Last year you said, “If Puerto Rico votes for it – I would love to make them a state.”

Puerto Ricans have voted three times in ten years to end territory status and to obtain full representation and equal rights through statehood. Not surprising since the current territory status is unequal and undemocratic. Congress must respect the will of the people! America Can’t Afford to Ignore its Voters.

Sen. Schumer: Don’t sit on the sidelines. As your constituent I urge you to help end Puerto Rico’s territory status in this session of Congress.

Puerto Rico has been a possession of the United States for more than a century. After 124 years under the American flag it’s clear that the island’s undemocratic and unequal territory status has failed.

Even though they pay most federal taxes and serve in the U.S. military, the 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico lack basic democracy having only one non-voting representative in the U.S. House, no U.S. Senators, and no chance to vote in presidential elections. To make matters worse, Puerto Rico can legally be treated differently from states and is therefore excluded from many federal programs.

Piecemeal solutions to the island’s problems are simply not good enough anymore. There is no way to help Puerto Rico fully recover or reach its potential under the current territory status, which is why it’s not surprising that on November 3, 2020, an absolute majority of voters in Puerto Rico chose to be immediately admitted into the Union as a state. That was the third time in ten years where voters rejected the territory and favored statehood among the non-territory options. Congress must not ignore them again.

As your constituent, I strongly urge you to do everything in your power to help put an end to Puerto Rico’s colonial and undemocratic territorial status during this session of Congress.

I urge you to co-sponsor H.R.1522: the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act, and to support ongoing efforts to reach a compromise between the two Puerto Rico Status bills to allow voters to choose between the non-territorial options. Don’t allow Congress to continue perpetuating the injustice of territorial colonialism any more. Please take action, time is running out!

Puerto Rico has been a possession of the United States for more than a century. After 124 years under the American flag it’s clear that the island’s undemocratic and unequal territory status has failed.

Even though they pay most federal taxes and serve in the U.S. military, the 3.2 million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico lack basic democracy having only one non-voting representative in the U.S. House, no U.S. Senators, and no chance to vote in presidential elections. To make matters worse, Puerto Rico can legally be treated differently from states and is therefore excluded from many federal programs.

Piecemeal solutions to the island’s problems are simply not good enough anymore. There is no way to help Puerto Rico fully recover or reach its potential under the current territory status, which is why it’s not surprising that on November 3, 2020, an absolute majority of voters in Puerto Rico chose to be immediately admitted into the Union as a state. That was the third time in ten years where voters rejected the territory and favored statehood among the non-territory options. Congress must not ignore them again.

As your constituent, I strongly urge you to do everything in your power to help put an end to Puerto Rico’s colonial and undemocratic territorial status during this session of Congress.

I urge you to co-sponsor S.780: the Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act, and to reach out to Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell and the White House to encourage them to support the will of the majority of our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico. I also strongly encourage you to support ongoing efforts in the House to reach a compromise between the two competing Puerto Rico Status bills that will allow voters to choose among the non-territory status options. Don’t allow Congress to continue perpetuating the injustice of territorial colonialism any more. Take Action Now!