By: Bella Varghese
Additional Contributors
Interviews Translated By: Edwin Hirschfeld
In recent months, Puerto Rico gained widespread attention and became the center of controversial debates. This increase in attention occurred after the six-time Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican pop star, Bad Bunny, announced he would be performing at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show.
What followed were strong, mixed emotions from Americans both on the mainland and in Puerto Rico. In early October 2025, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to the Super Bowl as a security measure.
In an interview with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, Noem confirmed ICE would be at the event and emphasized that only “law-abiding Americans who love this country” should be in attendance. Ultimately, the National Football League (NFL) issued a statement confirming that ICE agents would not be among the federal agents securing the Super Bowl.
On February 8th, just hours before the game, influencer and boxer Jake Paul posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he would be “purposefully turning off the halftime show,” expressing his disapproval of the NFL’s decision to have Bad Bunny perform. In the same post, Paul called Bad Bunny, who is a major critic of the Trump Administration, “a fake American citizen.”
Since 1898, Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory. Since 1917, Puerto Ricans have been considered U.S. citizens, although they are granted fewer rights than Americans on the mainland. Residents of the island do not have the right to vote in general presidential elections, vote for senators, or have representatives in Congress, and they receive less federal funding.
Paul has lived in Puerto Rico since 2021 and therefore does not benefit from the Constitution in the same way Americans with statehood do.
“People are always surprised when I say I’m a U.S. citizen … but I don’t vote,” said Nan Mandes. “They think that’s because [I’m] Puerto Rican, and again, I always surprise them because I go: ‘You move here, and you lose that right too.’”
Mandes is a Puerto Rican woman who was born in Puerto Rico, but spent most of her life in New York City before recently returning to Puerto Rico. She finds more often than not that non-Puerto Rican Americans who move to the island are unaware that their Constitutional rights are only guaranteed under statehood.
In a similar vein, non-Puerto Ricans who move to the island are typically those who have greater financial security and access to resources.
“We have Jake Paul living here in the town of Dorado, which is a very affluent town. That’s because of this tax exemption that [the government] is giving to the wealthy people,” Derek Gonzalez-Fort said. Gonzalez-Fort is a Puerto Rican man who gives tours of the Puerto Rican rainforest, El Yunque, and the town of Loíza. He spends his time both on the island and in NYC.
“Some people who come from the [mainland] United States … come with an authority, like a self-imposed authority,” he said. “A lot of rich people know that Puerto Rico is a territory … they come and buy properties … some of them think they’re more local than the people who live here.”
Unlike Paul, who, according to USA Today, has an estimated $200 million net worth, most residents of the island do not have the financial resources to support a flexible and wholly comfortable lifestyle. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Puerto Rico’s median household income from 2020 to 2024 was just shy of $26,300, and just over 37% of the population lives in poverty.
As a result, many of the island’s residents depend on government assistance even though it is not always reliable. “Once in a while we get some coupons … also El PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance),” said high school student Javier Ortiz. Ortiz grew up in Puerto Rico. In his experience, the U.S. government previously provided the territory with the most support through ‘coupons’ or government aid vouchers such as food stamps.
“What they could do to help us is restore the coupons, which they have taken away,” he said. In the 1980s, under the Reagan administration, Puerto Rico was officially excluded from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and offered the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP). This cut aid by 25%, and, on top of that, NAP is a capped block grant with a set annual funding that cannot be expanded to meet any additional needs.
In times of crisis, however, most feel the government does make an effort to support the territory.
“I think, in general, every administration has come through with immediately providing [resources] … I think that’s where we fare better than most of the other islands,” said Mandes
“The United States has provided us with a lot of help during [Hurricane] Maria,” Ortiz said. “At one point, they gave the option of changing homes or areas.”
But the support received during crises is not perfect.
Power outages and limited access to clean water often affect the island. According to a study published in Frontiers in Public Health in 2025, Puerto Rico “faces systemic governmental neglect that disproportionately affects public health.”
“It could be better,” Gonzalez-Fort admitted. “I think we can get more help in a quicker way.”
Despite the nearly $14 billion worth of government funding to repair the island’s electric grid and implement modern technology, the U.S. Government Accountability Office notes that most of the funds are unused, and progress towards a stable grid is meager.
According to the previously mentioned study, researchers found that “political abandonment is not merely a failure of governance but an intentional strategy that limits recovery efforts and sustains structural inequalities.”
This calls into question whether remaining as a U.S. territory, gaining statehood, or gaining independence is the best option for Puerto Rico to become a more stable and resourceful place for people to live.
“I don’t think I’d want statehood,” Mandes said. “There are three choices … we have no say in whether we become a state or not … That’s a Congress mandate.” Mandes does not believe that statehood would benefit the island any more than being a territory does. She acknowledges that it may allow Puerto Ricans to have representation in government, but anything beyond that seems unlikely in her opinion.
“We’re seen as second-class citizens,” Mandes said. “I think that the United States only looks to Puerto Rico when it’s beneficial to them because they own us. They gave us citizenship in 1917 so they could recruit our soldiers to go into war for World War I.”
On the other hand, some believe statehood is a sure way to gain the rights and resources the territory is fighting for.
“I would be for it if all the rights are given and all the rights are met,” Gonzalez-Fort said. He believes statehood could be the gateway for “access to better education and better food.” But, he also believes that Puerto Rico could succeed as an independent entity.
“I think we can take care of ourselves,” he explained. “There’s plenty of examples all over the Caribbean.”
Some think Puerto Rico’s culture would be lost if the island gained statehood: Thus, they would prefer to remain as they are or become independent.
“Puerto Rico has its own culture already: La Bomba, La Plena,” Ortiz explained. “If we become part of the United States, everything would be different.”
Despite the challenges presented by the U.S. government over the years, some Puerto Ricans still believe that their connection with the greater U.S. is honored and valued.
“We feel connected, and we feel a part of [the U.S.],” said Puerto Rican high school student Aniershkaliz Garcia Muniz.
“They give us lots of help,” explained Camila Hernandez, another Puerto Rican high school student. “If it wasn’t for that help, many things wouldn’t be possible.”
Sources
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