Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, which means that it is controlled by the U.S. government but is separate from the mainland. It has been a U.S. territory since 1898, after the U.S. defeated Spain in the Spanish-American war. Puerto Ricans by birth have American citizenship and can move freely between the island and the U.S. mainland. However, unlike Hawaii, Puerto Rico is not a state, which means it does not have voting power in Congress and its citizens can’t vote for the U.S. president, but they can vote in party primaries. Puerto Rico is self-governed through a local constitution that was approved by Congress in 1952. Residents can elect their own Governor, Assembly, and Senate.

Puerto Ricos relationship with the United States has been a topic of debate for many years. More than 97% of voters said they would prefer to be a state rather than an unincorporated territory in a referendum held in 2023, but turnout was only 23% . Puerto Rico has some measure of self-rule but limited representation in Washington. Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all residents of Puerto Rico in 1917, but it did not extend to them all constitutional rights and obligations of citizenship, such as having congressional representation or paying federal income taxes.