How to immigrate to Puerto Rico

Two days before the second inauguration ceremony, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill, which had a far-reaching impact on the identity of 1 tens of thousands of people. 1917 In March, with the rapid waving of a pen, Puerto Ricans suddenly had the opportunity to become American citizens. The biggest question is, will it change anything? This was Wilson's promise in 19 12 when he campaigned for Puerto Rican autonomy and Puerto Rican citizenship, partly because he realized the commercial advantages of establishing better relations with Latin America. However, the Jones Shavros Act has not really fulfilled these two promises, and the timing is not even more doubtful. This country is about to enter World War I, which means that with the arrival of citizenship, a country risks its life to calculate. Until recently, this country only provided political superiority.

But the whole story is not just a simple narrative, the American rule over a less powerful territory. Milagros Denis Rosario, a Puerto Rican research scholar, said that the real relationship between Puerto Ricans and their new citizenship is "love and hate". Although the Jones-Schaeferos Act seems to be a turning point, it has been a turning point since 1898.

Since then, the political process in Puerto Rico has stagnated, and the Spanish flag has been flying for hundreds of years, which can be traced back to 1493 when Christopher Columbus colonized the island. During the Spanish-American War, American troops invaded Cuba and Puerto Rico and gained a strategic foothold in the Caribbean. They quickly defeated the Spanish army in Puerto Rico, established military units, and obtained the ownership of the island within four months according to the Paris Treaty of1898+February. 1901April, President McKinley signed the Flack Act, which made Puerto Rico an "unorganized territory" and gave Puerto Ricans some constitutional protections, such as due process and freedom of speech, even if they were not citizens. The bill also established a new political structure on the island. Absolute power is in the hands of the Governor and an executive committee composed of 1 1 (all non-Puerto Rican Americans are appointed by the President). Although Puerto Ricans can vote for a permanent envoy (who has a seat in the United States House of Representatives but has no voting rights) and a 35-member delegation,

Theodore roosevelt was the first American president to visit Puerto Rico, and his * * * portrayed these islanders as unfortunate aborigines. Elihu Root, the author of the Flack Act and the Secretary of War, said: "Before the Puerto Rican people can achieve full autonomy, they must first learn to control themselves and respect the principle of * * * *." . "This lesson will be learned slowly ... without a strong instructor and a course, they will inevitably fail."

The bill has been repeatedly criticized by Puerto Rican politicians seeking autonomy. Under the rule of Spain, they have the right to have 16 deputies and 3 senators. "The inventor of this maze likes to repeat that we are not ready (autonomy). Luis muoz Rivera, Puerto Rico's permanent envoy, said: "I hope to respond to the allegations word for word. "American politicians are not prepared to rule foreign colonies with such different personalities and unique civilizations."

In fact, Puerto Ricans have limited ability to manage the island. The missionaries and policemen in charge of education on the island are all Americans and are not familiar with the history and culture of the island. They try to shape the island in a way that is most beneficial to the United States rather than Puerto Ricans, such as using English as the official language. Even if elected representatives of Puerto Rico try to pass their own legislation, it may be rewritten or rejected because of the whim of American politicians on the executive Committee. "When the General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee in Port R voted to allocate funds to help earthquake victims or set up scholarships to encourage education, it was reported that the Minister of Justice cancelled these funds, arguing that it violated [federal law]. David Ray Zwani, a political scientist and historian, wrote: "For the Governor of Puerto Rico, American Arthur Higuard and Frank McIntyre, the director of island affairs, the dissatisfaction on the island is obvious. They all stressed that delaying citizenship would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. "... coupled with Puerto Rico's strategic military location, proximity to the Panama Canal, and economic motives for establishing better relations with Latin America, now seems to be the ideal time to appease Puerto Ricans with something that is considered priceless: American citizenship.

However, when the Jones Shavlos Act came into effect, it seemed that it would only blur Puerto Rico's status in the United States and its citizenship. Dennis Rosario said: "They have no right to elect the president of the United States and have no representation in the US Congress." . "This runs counter to the firm belief of the United States. This has produced two kinds of citizenship: one is a citizen living on the island and the other is a citizen living in the United States. "

Undoubtedly, the lack of political independence and full citizenship is disappointing, but the politicians on the island, most of whom come from the upper class of Puerto Rican society, seized the opportunity that the United States was about to join the First World War and obtained full citizenship. Antonio Rafael Bacelo, President of the Senate of Puerto Rico, requested that the bill be extended to the island after the Jones Shavros bill, with the understanding that neither his family nor those of his colleagues would be adversely affected.

"The Puerto Rican elite lost no time in volunteering for military service for farmers ... historian Harry Franqui Rivera wrote. The draft is a way for Puerto Ricans to prove their patriotism, whether it is the United States or Puerto Rico; Politicians who support statehood prove their loyalty to the United States; And those who support independence get useful civic education, which can be used for autonomy. According to Wilson and Congress, Puerto Ricans serving in military service will learn English and be familiar with American culture and values.

On the first day of conscription, 104550 Puerto Ricans registered. This number finally reached 236,853, of which 17855 people need to be reported, which is similar to the national average.

Military registration does not always have the positive impact that American and Puerto Rican politicians hope. Dennis Rosario pointed out that Puerto Rican soldiers, like African Americans, were separated from white soldiers during the First World War. For some independent Puerto Ricans, this will only strengthen their enthusiasm for eventual autonomy. However, she added, American citizenship has also changed Puerto Ricans' view of themselves. "I think Puerto Ricans are beginning to feel that they belong to a certain country, which has triggered more immigrants to the United States," she said.

Today, Puerto Ricans are still struggling with the contradiction between being Americans and other things; Even after 100 years, the island is still an unincorporated territory of the United States. It's been like this from the beginning. Although the National Assembly passed the Federal Relations Law (recognizing the authority of the island in internal governance) in 1950 and approved the island's constitution in 1952, residents still lack voting representatives in the National Assembly, and they are not qualified to participate in federal projects and vote in presidential elections like the states. The uncertainty in Puerto Rico has caused many legal and financial problems. For the island, the recent debt crisis has prevented Puerto Rico from refinancing or declaring bankruptcy. An independent board of directors is monitoring the crisis, and Puerto Ricans once again have no chance to vote for their members.

Dennis Rosario said, "This is a challenge because they have been American citizens for 65,438+000 years." "Today, some people want to be independent, but they are very dependent on the United States psychologically and economically. No one can find a real solution."