Puerto Ricans that spoke to Fox News Digital in San Juan, Puerto Rico overwhelmingly were not in favor of the U.S. territory gaining statehood in America, citing economic concerns and colonialism. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)
Several Puerto Ricans interviewed by Fox News Digital in San Juan, Puerto Rico voiced opposition to becoming America’s 51st state, arguing that it would send the economy into turmoil and strip the island of its cultural identity.
"I don't think it should be a state," Carly, who grew up in Puerto Rico and now lives in Connecticut, told Fox News Digital. "I don't want them to do PR how they did with Hawaii. I don't want taxes to spike. People’s wages here are really low to maintain life here."
Statehood for Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since the United States acquired it from Spain in 1898, has long been debated among both the U.S. government and Puerto Rico’s local government.
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SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – JULY 01: The Puerto Rican flag flies near the Capitol building as the island's residents deal with the government's $72 billion debt on July 1, 2015 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Governor of Puerto Rico Alejandro GarcÃa Padilla said in a speech recently that the people of Puerto Rico will have to make sacrifices and share the responsibilities to help pull the island out of debt. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The statehood debate carries significant economic implications for the island, including potential changes to how Puerto Rican residents and businesses are taxed. Puerto Rico operates under a different federal tax structure than the states — statehood would bring the island more fully into the federal tax system.
"Everything would become more expensive than it already is and locals [have] already been struggling for a while now," Alejandra from San Juan, Puerto Rico, said. She continued, "It would make stuff even worse."
Puerto Rican Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, a member of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and ally of President Donald Trump, is an advocate of the push for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state. She argues that achieving statehood goes hand-in-hand with achieving equality, as her party has claimed unequal treatment in numerous federal programs.
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US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up before boarding Air Force One en route back to Washington, DC, at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, Ohio on August 11, 2026. (Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)
One Puerto Rican resident who spoke with Fox News Digital cited the public scrutiny of Trump as a reason for not wanting to gain statehood. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, residents of the territory cannot vote in the general election for president.
"There's a lot of controversy with the… especially the president right now," a woman from Puerto Rico who referred to herself as "Boo" said. "We don't want to be a part of that, for sure."
A nonbinding referendum on the issue held in November 2024 asked Puerto Rican voters to choose between statehood, independence, or associated independence — which leaves certain issues to be negotiated individually. The vote found that 59% of those voting were in favor of statehood, with 29% favoring independence and 12% for associated independence.
"I believe that we can be our own independent country," Angelie, another Puerto Rican resident, said. "I think that we have the full potential to become an independent country since we have been colonized for so, so many years."
