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Could Puerto Rico become America's 51st state?

Could Puerto Rico become America's 51st state? 大象传媒 Mundo鈥檚 Ronald Avila-Claudio tells us more about his homeland and what the future might hold.

As a US territory, Puerto Rico uses the dollar, its people are US citizens and they can move freely back and forth. However, it isn鈥檛 a US state, and its residents can鈥檛 vote in presidential elections or for members of Congress.

The country has a deep debt crisis, high unemployment and has experienced devastating hurricanes and earthquakes. As a result, migration to the US is common, with almost a million more Puerto Ricans in the US than on the island. In 2020, a non-binding referendum resulted in Puerto Rico voting again to become a US state. But will it ever happen?

大象传媒 Mundo鈥檚 Ronald Avila-Claudio tells us more about his homeland and what the future might hold.

Presented by Claire Graham and produced by Owen McFadden for the 大象传媒 World Service.

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18 minutes

Last on

Mon 28 Aug 2023 02:32GMT

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