Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Today is about honoring the men and women who have sacrificed to defend the United States. The U.S. flag flies high over Naval Station Norfolk as we thank the brave veterans who have defended our freedom and democracy. It is important that we acknowledge that not all veterans are treated equally, including the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans that have served our country. Despite members of Congress touting their support for veterans, we are still waiting for the 119th Congress to introduce legislation to give Puerto Rican veterans the rights of first-class U.S. citizens rather than colonial subjects. Puerto Rico, home to 3.2 million Americans, has one of the highest rates of military service per capita in the nation. Of the more than 121,000 Puerto Ricans living in Virginia, many are part of our 730,000-strong veterans’ community. There have been more than 375,000 Puerto Rican veterans who have served in the United States military, including in every U.S. conflict dating back to the American Revolution and with more than 1,200 U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico losing their lives defending America and our way of life. Still, those same veterans return home to a place where democracy isn’t fully realized — the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico. Because Puerto Rico is not a state, the federal government decides which benefits apply and to what extent. In practice, this means that despite being U.S. citizens, Puerto Rican veterans living on the island do not receive equal federal benefits — including veterans’ health care, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, to name a few. They also cannot vote for their commander-in-chief or members of Congress, who have the ability to vote on legislation. Puerto Ricans can fight to protect these elected officials, but they have no ability to vote for the politicians responsible for sending them to war. This has created a two-tier system of citizenship where Puerto Rican veterans are honored for their sacrifice but denied equal rights and services at home. Virginians reading this should be outraged by the fact that members of Congress will praise and honor our veterans today, yet for decades they have failed to act to ensure equality for the nearly 400,000 U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico who have served this country. This lack of congressional action is not only an affront to our veterans here in Virginia but also to the more than 3.2 million Puerto Ricans living on the island. In four consecutive plebiscites since 2012, Puerto Ricans have clearly expressed a desire to become a state. Most recently in 2024, an undisputable 58% of Puerto Rican voters chose statehood. Despite this overwhelming mandate, Congress has failed to act. Veterans Day is a reminder that democracy is not self-sustaining. It must be defended, improved and tended to by its citizens and officials. When Election Day arrives, Puerto Rican veterans are silenced, staining our democracy. No American should stand by as thousands of U.S. veterans are denied the right to vote for the commander-in-chief and the Congress that can declare wars. “Thank you for your service,” must go beyond words. Let us demand that our nation lives up to its ideals of equality under the law and government by consent of the governed. Congress has the power to end Puerto Rico’s territorial status and must give Puerto Ricans and their veterans the same rights enjoyed by every other American. This is one of the many reasons that Virginia’s U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine must introduce and pass legislation to allow for a binding vote on Puerto Rico’s political status. It’s beyond time to move from symbolic appreciation to substantive action and give Puerto Rico’s veterans full federal voting rights and citizen equality at home. George Laws Garcia of Arlington is the executive director of the Puerto Rico Statehood Council. Previously, he served as the acting director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.
