Puerto Ricans Reject 51st-State Push as 59% 2024 Referendum Backed Statehood

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 23

San Juan residents interviewed by Fox News Digital largely opposed Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state, saying statehood would raise taxes, lift living costs and deepen economic strain.
Federal tax changes sat at the center of those fears, with residents arguing Puerto Rico’s lower wages and fragile economy could not absorb a fuller U.S. tax burden.
Cultural concerns also ran through the opposition, with some residents warning statehood would accelerate Americanization and erode Puerto Rico’s identity, while others framed the issue as a legacy of colonialism.
The street-level resistance contrasts with Puerto Rico’s November 2024 nonbinding referendum, in which 59% backed statehood, and with Governor Jenniffer González Colón’s argument that statehood would bring equal treatment in federal programs.
The divide leaves Puerto Rico’s long-running status debate split between statehood, independence and continued territorial ties, with economic dependence on U.S. funding still shaping the argument.