[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 35 (Thursday, March 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E445-E446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         90TH ANNIVERSARY OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR PUERTO RICANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LUIS G. FORTUNO

                             of puerto rico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 1, 2007

  Mr. FORTUNO. Madam Speaker, at the end of the Spanish American War in 
1898, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States and became a territory 
under the Territorial Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It was not until 
1917, by virtue of the passage of the Jones Act by Congress, that 
people born in Puerto Rico were granted the privilege of becoming 
citizens of this great Nation.
  It was on March 2, 1917, 90 years ago, that Puerto Ricans became U.S. 
citizens. Tomrrow we celebrate the anniversary of that historic 
occasion by re-affirming our love for our citizenship, like our 
forbearers have been doing for 90 years. We cherish our U.S. 
citizenship dearly, for the same basic plinciples and rights that have 
made this Nation great, among which are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit 
of Happiness.
  We, as American citizens, share a common belief and admiration for 
all the principles and lights embodied in our Founding Documents and 
espoused by our Founding Fathers. This is the common bond that unites 
us with our fellow citizens.
  We have honored our citizenship for these 90 years by making major 
contributions to our great Nation. We have distinguished ourselves in 
the arts, the sciences, and sports; but most important of all, Puerto 
Rican men and women have served with distinction and valor in every 
battlefield in which our Nation has been involved, from World War I to 
the current War on Terror, defending our valued principles of freedom 
and democracy around the world, trom Europe to the Pacific, from Korea 
to Vietnam to the Middle East.
  Since 1917, Puerto Ricans have established themselves as an integral 
component of American society, adding to the fabric of local 
communities across the United States.
  Like most Americans, the nearly 4 million U.S. citizens living in 
Puerto Rico patriotically cherish their American citizenship, and value 
the opportunity that comes with our long-standing political 
relationship with the United States. This relationship provides Puerto 
Ricans a sense of belonging to a community that transcends the 
geographic limitations of our Island; it is our common thread, what 
binds us. After 90 years, however, we still have neither the full nor 
the equal rights and duties of U.S. citizenship that our fellow 
Americans enjoy in the 50 states.
  Even though American citizenship was conferred 90 years ago, to this 
day Americans in Puerto Rico have not been afforded the opportunity for 
self-determination regarding our future political status by a 
federally-mandated plebiscite. American citizens in Puerto Rico 
continue to lack full voting representation in Congress, voting rights 
in federal elections, equal civil rights, full democracy at the 
national level, and a formal process to express

[[Page E446]]

our wishes regarding our destiny as free citizens.
  Earlier this month, Representative Jose Serrano and I, introduced the 
Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007 (HR 900), together with 93 bipartisan 
co-sponsors, to provide a federally sanctioned self-determination 
process for the people of Puerto Rico. I encourage my colleagues in the 
United States Congress to support this bipartisan bill to establish a 
formally-recognized process that will enable Puerto Ricans to determine 
our future based on realistic and legally valid options, recognized by 
the U.S. Constitution. After 90 years of being citizens of the United 
States, we deserve that right.

                          ____________________