Opinion - Venezuela mission proves the US needs Puerto Rico statehood [View all]

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Last year, Nicolas Maduro called for the “liberation” of Puerto Rico, implying his intent to invade the island and signaling its importance on the global stage. Maduro — an illegitimate president presiding over economic collapse, human rights abuses and drug trafficking — deserved removal.

Yet, the successful U.S. operation to oust Maduro from Venezuela, which was largely staged from Puerto Rico, also reveals an unexpected paradox: The territory that safeguards American interests in the Caribbean is home to 3.2 million U.S. citizens who are denied full political rights and equality under federal laws.

For more than a century, Puerto Rico has served as America’s Caribbean border. Its location allows for U.S. power projection across Latin America, protection of vital shipping lanes and countering the influence of adversaries like China and Russia. While past administrations have centered defense priorities far from home, the White House shifted America’s national security priorities to the Western Hemisphere, reaffirming Puerto Rico’s critical importance to the protection of the U.S. homeland.

Strategic significance has not delivered equality. Despite more than 35,000 Puerto Rican service members serving alongside Americans from every state, risking their lives on the front lines, they cannot vote for the commander-in-chief directing their missions. Island residents also have no voting representation in Congress, where wars are authorized and the laws they live under are debated and passed.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/opinion-venezuela-mission-proves-us-180000084.html