114-551: Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born 31 October 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico , an unincorporated territory of the United States , from 2009 to 2013. Fortuño served as the first secretary of economic development and commerce of Puerto Rico (1994–1997), as the executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (1993–1994), and as the president of
228-465: A U.S. territory , Puerto Ricans have automatic birthright American citizenship , and are considerably influenced by American culture . The population of Puerto Ricans is between 9 and 10 million worldwide, with the overwhelming majority residing in Puerto Rico and mainland United States . The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred to as a Western culture largely derived from
342-486: A "general strike" over government budget cuts. Puerto Rico's unemployment rate exceeded 16.7 percent in June, 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Fortuño administration expected the layoffs to propel that rate to 17.1 percent (the unemployment rate for April 2010 was 17.2). On 26 August 2010, teachers unions staged one day walkout to protest what they say was Fortuño' plans to privatize employee pensions,
456-413: A 46% to 25% advantage over incumbent Governor Acevedo Vilá. On 16 May 2007 poll also showed Fortuño winning a primary election against Pedro Rosselló 49% to 37%. On 19 February 2007, Fortuño announced his candidacy for Governor of Puerto Rico for the 2008 general election. He faced former 2004 running mate and former governor Pedro Juan Rosselló González in an PNP primary on 9 March 2008 which he won by
570-412: A 50% tax cut for individuals and 30% for businesses, beginning with a 7–14% tax cut for individuals and a 7% tax cut for businesses effective during tax year 2010. Due to cost-containment and revenue generation measures, fiscal year 2009-10 ended with a $ 2 billion structural deficit, followed by a $ 1 billion structural deficit in 2010–11, $ 610 million in fiscal year 2011–12, $ 332.7 million in 2012–13, with
684-558: A 54% majority of the ballots cast against the continuation of the island's territorial political status, and in favor of a new status. Of votes for new status, a 61.1% majority chose statehood. This was by far the most successful referendum for statehood advocates. In all earlier referenda, votes for statehood were matched almost equally by votes for remaining an American territory, with the remainder for independence. Support for U.S. statehood has risen in each successive popular referendum. The fifth Puerto Rican status referendum of 2017 ,
798-604: A 60% to 40% margin. On 18 May 2007 Fortuño announced that former attorney general Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia would be his running mate and run for Fortuño's current office of resident commissioner of Puerto Rico . Pierluisi Urrutia was a classmate at Colegio Marista, a fellow member of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association and also a fellow cabinet member of Fortuño's during former governor Rosselló's first term from 1993 to 1996. On 9 March 2008, Fortuño easily defeated Rosselló at
912-555: A Member of the newly created United States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs and as co-chair of the Friends of Spain Caucus. Fortuño won the 2008 PNP gubernatorial nomination by a wide margin after defeating former governor and then-senator Pedro Rosselló in the primaries . He then won the general election by a comfortable margin, defeating incumbent governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá . Fortuño has served as president of
1026-526: A Puerto Rican population count, especially if they have ancestry of at least one parent born in target country, for example people of Dominican, Cuban, or Mexican etc ancestry born in Puerto Rico and later returning to their ancestral country- wouldn't be counted in a Puerto Rican population count, but likely rather counted as a "returning emigrant". Similarly, Puerto Ricans born in the mainland United States would be counted under an "American" statistic, so
1140-517: A caucus of incoming PNP legislators, who chose Thomas Rivera Schatz as the incoming Senate president in an uncontested election and Representative Jenniffer González as the new House speaker, succeeding the incumbent House speaker, who also competed. On 9 November, he announced the appointment of outgoing Senate president Kenneth McClintock as the head of the Incoming Committee on Government Transition . On 11 November, he began announcing
1254-628: A discrete genetic population. Native American admixture in Puerto Ricans ranges between about 5% and 35%, with around 15% being the approximate average. Puerto Rico's self-identified indigenous population therefore consist mostly of indigenous-identified persons (oftentimes with predominant Indigenous ancestry, but not always) from within the genetically mestizo population of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, even when most other Puerto Ricans of their exact same mixture would identify either as mixed-race or even as white. For its 2020 census,
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#17328009850251368-482: A dozen of the over 1,400 public schools aimed at conducting instruction in English only. Objections from teaching staff are common, perhaps because many of them are not fully fluent in English. English is taught as a second language and is a compulsory subject from elementary levels to high school. Home to a sizeable deaf community , the actual numbers are unknown due to unavailable source data. A 1986 estimate places
1482-520: A fee to be classified as white, which was the opposite of " one-drop rule " in US society after the American Civil War. Studies have shown that the racial ancestry mixture of the average Puerto Rican (regardless of racial self-identity) is about 64% European, 21% African, and 15% Native Taino, with European ancestry strongest on the west side of the island and West African ancestry strongest on
1596-604: A goal of achieving a structurally balanced budget by 1 July 2013. On 15 October 2009, Calle 13 won the Premios MTV Latinoamérica for "Best Urban Artist". Pérez hosted the ceremony, and used this exposure to insult Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño and comment about a civilian general strike that was organized earlier that day, held to protest the firing of more than 25,000 public employees by Fortuño's administration. Pérez generated much controversy after referring to Fortuño as an "hijo de la gran puta" The phrase
1710-656: A majority of the population on the island. In 1791, the slaves in Saint-Domingue ( Haiti ), revolted against their French masters. Many of the French escaped to Puerto Rico via what is now the Dominican Republic and settled in the west coast of the island, especially in Mayagüez . Some Puerto Ricans are of British heritage, most notably Scottish people and English people who came to reside there in
1824-534: A marked change in the way Puerto Ricans view themselves. This may show that Puerto Ricans are now more open to embracing all sides of their mixed-race heritage and do not view themselves as part of the standard race dynamic in the United States hence the high number of people identifying as "some other race", a similar phenomenon went on in the mainland United States with the overall US Hispanic/Latino population. Most have significant ancestry from two or more of
1938-634: A mass of workers marched through the streets of San Juan in response to the governor's plan, protesting the government's preparation for impending layoffs. Most of the frustration of the Puerto Rican constituents was due to the then candidate Luis Fortuno swearing that he would not lay off a single employee yet in his 3 March speech he warned that the $ 3.2 billion deficit he encountered might require laying off over 20,000-30,000 government employees. On 15 October 2009, thousands of Puerto Rican workers and supporters gathered for what organizers tried to pass as
2052-560: A national Republican strategy. On 26 June 2011, he announced in Bayamón that he would seek a second term as Governor of Puerto Rico. In interviews he said that he would not aspire to a national office in 2012. More recently, Republican consultant Roger Stone mentioned Fortuño as a potential vice presidential nominee to win Hispanic American votes in 2012. In 2012, his name has continued resonating for national office. Fortuño
2166-710: A referendum. The first amendment would have reduced the size of the Senate from 27 to 17 members and of the House of Representatives from 51 to 39 members. While the governor's main opponent, PDP gubernatorial candidate, Senator Alejandro García Padilla supported the amendments, most PDP voters did not follow his lead and contributed to the defeat of both amendments, which was also opposed by the Puerto Rican Independence Party and three minor parties. On 9 January 2013, Fortuño presented his resignation to
2280-471: A result of all the cost-cutting measures taken during his first two years in office, and the approval of Law 154 which imposes a temporary excise tax on overseas sales by major corporation over 6 years in a declining scale beginning at 6% which may be taken by affected corporation as a credit on their federal tax returns, on 31 January 2011, Fortuño signed Law 1 of 2011, the new Internal Revenue Code that provides, retroactive to 1 January 2010, tax relief including
2394-539: A self-determination process leading to political status change for Puerto Rico. The bill was amended and approved in a voice vote by the House's Committee on Resources on 23 October, a major victory for Fortuño. However, as other political status bills in the past, the measure never made it to the President for his signature. A poll taken before Fortuño Burset announced his gubernatorial bid in February 2007 suggests he
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#17328009850252508-406: A shortage of teachers and the deterioration of the school system. The walkout was the largest labor protest in public schools on the island since a 10-day strike in 2008 as teachers demanded improved wages and working conditions. The University of Puerto Rico's administration under Fortuño attempted to enforce a $ 800 quota on students which led to the 2010–2011 University of Puerto Rico strikes . As
2622-417: A significant minority. Also present in today's Puerto Ricans are traces (about 10-15%) of the aboriginal Taíno natives that inhabited the island at the time European colonizers arrived in 1493. Recent studies in population genetics have concluded that Puerto Rican gene pool is on average predominantly European, with a significant Sub-Saharan African, North African Guanche , and Indigenous American substrate,
2736-489: A slim margin of approximately 3000 votes. Fortuño was also active in other pro-statehood youth organizations and in the Republican Party . He is married to attorney Lucé Vela-Gutierrez ; they have triplets, María Luisa, Luis Roberto, and Guillermo (born 1991) who were college students at mainland U.S. universities. Fortuño entered public service in 1993 at the start of Governor Pedro Rosselló's administration. He
2850-471: A televised speech on 3 March 2009, 60 days after having been sworn in, Governor Fortuño announced his fiscal and economic recovery plan which included reducing the government's annual expenditures by more than $ 2 billion at the start of the next fiscal year in July 2009. Media speculation estimated that a reduction of such magnitude could require permanently laying off up to 30,000 government workers. On 1 May 2009,
2964-794: A total of 3,644,515 (91.9%) of the population being born in Puerto Rico and 201,310 (5.1%) born in the United States. The total population born outside Puerto Rico is 322,773 (8.1%). Of the 108,262 who were foreign born outside the United States (2.7% of Puerto Ricans), 92.9% were born in Latin America, 3.8% in Europe, 2.7% in Asia, 0.2% in Northern America , and 0.1% in Africa and Oceania each. The populations during Spanish rule of Puerto Rico were: The original inhabitants of Puerto Rico are
3078-585: Is also involved in Steptoe's Latin American practice. Fortuno is a frequent speaker in forums related to business and conservative causes. He supported libertarian candidate Javier Milei in 2023 Argentine general election . Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( Spanish : Puertorriqueños ), most commonly known as Boricuas , but also occasionally referred to as Borinqueños , Borincanos , or Puertorros , are an ethnic group native to
3192-507: Is commonly translated as "son of a bitch"; in Spanish it is an insult to the person itself, equating to "bad person". Governor Fortuño was mentioned more than once as a long-shot potential candidate for nomination for president or vice president in 2012 and his frequent campaign trips to the mainland during the 2010 congressional races have been linked to potential national aspirations. George Will endorsed Fortuño's support for statehood as
3306-692: Is composed of the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia. In 2010, Fortuño created a Commission for the Celebration of the Quincentenary of the Governorship of Puerto Rico, a celebration that began on 12 October 2010 and will extend to 19 November 2011. As part of
3420-621: Is currently prohibited. Even with the Puerto Ricans' vote for statehood, action by the United States Congress would be necessary to implement changes to the status of Puerto Rico under the Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution . Puerto Rico Tourism Company The Puerto Rico Tourism Company ( Spanish : Compañía de Turismo de Puerto Rico , or simply Turismo )
3534-401: Is even a Francosign language like ASL. Indeed, there is a hesitancy amongst Puerto Rican Deaf to even mention LSPR after heavy handed oralist education of English, Spanish, and Signed English . Today, there is much contact between ASL, PRSL, and Signed Spanish . The Spanish of Puerto Rico has evolved into having many idiosyncrasies in vocabulary and syntax that differentiate it from
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3648-497: Is internationally recognized by Spain, which considers Puerto Rico to be an Ibero-American nation. Therefore, Puerto Rican citizens have the ability to apply for Spanish citizenship after only two years residency in Spain (instead of the standard 10 years). Puerto Rican voters, despite not voting in the 2024 election for the President on the island, nevertheless were a surprisingly important political "hot potato" for both parties, due to
3762-602: Is of paternal Spanish descent including Catalan and Galician , his great-great grandfather Jaime José Fortuño y Ferrús was from Tarragona . Fortuño also has Corsican lineage from his maternal great-grandfather. Fortuño attended Colegio Marista (Marist School) in Guaynabo , graduating in 1978. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in diplomacy from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University . In 1985, he received his Juris Doctor degree from
3876-477: Is one of the most important components in which many villages were founded from these immigrants, which started from 1493 to 1890 and beyond. Many Spaniards, especially Canarians, chose Puerto Rico because of its Hispanic ties and relative proximity in comparison with other former Spanish colonies. They searched for security and stability in an environment similar to that of the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico
3990-507: Is represented in the House of Representatives by an elected representative commonly known as the Resident Commissioner , who has the same duties and obligations as a representative, with the exception of being able to cast votes on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor. The Resident Commissioner is elected by Puerto Ricans to a four-year term and does serve on congressional committee . Puerto Ricans residing in
4104-543: Is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico . The company was created during Governor Luis A. Ferré 's administration (1969-1973) to coordinate the marketing and growth of Puerto Rico's tourism sector. It is governed by a board of directors and an executive director appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico with the advice and consent of the Senate of Puerto Rico . Over
4218-522: Is the most well-liked public figure in the PNP. The poll, taken by Gaither International at the request of Caribbean Business newspaper, indicated that Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá , Fortuño's likely opponent, would fare badly in the general election. Another poll released in May 2007 and taken by Kaagan Research Associates, Inc. at the request of El Nuevo Día , a major circulation newspaper, showed Fortuño with
4332-905: The Ana G. Méndez University System and the Puerto Rico Museum of Art . He is a member of the American Law Institute and the Urban Land Institute. In 1996, he served on the Platform Committee at the Republican National Convention , where he was successful in including the support for self-determination and eventual statehood for Puerto Rico in the party platform. Fortuño resigned his cabinet posts after Rosselló's reelection in 1996 and returned to private law practice. Fortuño
4446-492: The Canary Islands , this is also true for many Dominicans and Cubans. Canarians are of partial Guanche ancestry, a North African Berber ethnic group who were the original inhabitants before Spanish conquest. This means that by extension, many Puerto Ricans have minuscule amounts of North African blood through the indigenous Guanches of the Canary Islands. In the 1899 census , taken the year Spain ceded Puerto Rico to
4560-564: The Caribbean archipelago and island of Puerto Rico , and a nation identified with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico through ancestry , culture , or history . Puerto Ricans are predominately a tri-racial , Spanish-speaking , Christian society, descending in varying degrees from Indigenous Taíno natives , Southwestern European colonists , and West and Central African slaves , freedmen , and free Blacks . As citizens of
4674-599: The Great Famine of the 1840s , immigrated to Puerto Rico. They were followed by smaller waves from other European countries and China. During the early 20th century Jews began to settle in Puerto Rico. The first large group of Jews to settle in Puerto Rico were European refugees fleeing German–occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. The second influx of Jews to the island came in the 1950s, when thousands of Cuban Jews fled Cuba after Fidel Castro came to power. The native Taino population began to dwindle, with
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4788-658: The National Geographic Genographic Project , "the average Puerto Rican individual carries 12% Native American, 65% West Eurasian (Mediterranean, Northern European and/or Middle Eastern) and 20% Sub-Saharan African DNA." In genetic terms, even many of those of pure Spanish origin would have North and, in some cases, West African ancestry brought from founder populations, particularly in the Canary Islands. Along with European, West African, and Taino, many Puerto Ricans have small amounts of North African blood due to settlers from Canary Islands ,
4902-671: The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (PNP), the Council of State Governments , and the Southern Governors Association . Fortuño sought to be re-elected as governor in the 2012 elections , but was defeated by Alejandro García Padilla by 0.6%. Fortuño was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico , the son of Luis Fortuño Moscoso, a dentist, and Shirley Burset. He is the eldest of four brothers. Fortuño
5016-466: The PNP primaries and became the new president of the PNP and its official candidate for governor. Fortuño won the candidacy by obtaining nearly 60% of primary votes. Fortuño's running mate and now official candidate for resident commissioner , Pedro Pierluisi , also won his primary. On 4 November 2008, Fortuño became the ninth governor -elect of Puerto Rico by popular election winning by over 220,000 votes,
5130-677: The Republican National Committee . Fortuño was the running mate of former governor Rosselló, who returned for a third bid as the PNP's candidate for governor. In the elections of 2004, Fortuño was victorious (48.5% of votes) over his main rival candidate Roberto Prats (48% of votes) of the Popular Democratic Party (PDP). Fortuño's running mate, Pedro Rosselló, lost his bid for the governor's seat to then resident commissioner Aníbal Acevedo Vilá by less than 4,000 votes. This meant that Fortuño would be
5244-644: The Taíno , who called the island Borikén or Borinquen ; however, as in other parts of the Americas, the native people soon diminished in number after the arrival of Spanish settlers. Besides miscegenation , the negative impact on the numbers of Amerindian people, especially in Puerto Rico, was almost entirely the result of Old World diseases that the Amerindians had no natural/bodily defenses against, including measles , chicken pox , mumps , influenza , and even
5358-875: The University of Virginia School of Law . During this period, Fortuño was an intern at the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington, D.C. While in college, Luis Fortuño co-founded the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association (PRSSA) with Kenneth McClintock and presided over the organization from 1980 to 1981. During the 1980 gubernatorial election recount, PRSSA generated more than 1,500 absentee ballots at Fortuño's direction for incumbent Governor Carlos Romero Barceló . The generated ballots were an important factor in Romero Barceló's reelection; he won by
5472-802: The Vietnam War , the Gulf War , the War in Afghanistan , and the Iraq War . Since 2007, the Puerto Rico State Department has developed a protocol to issue certificates of Puerto Rican citizenship to Puerto Ricans. In order to be eligible, applicants must have been born in Puerto Rico; born outside of Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican-born parent; or be an American citizen with at least one year residence in Puerto Rico. The citizenship
5586-669: The common cold . In fact, it was estimated that the majority of all the Amerindian inhabitants of the New World died out due to contact and contamination with those Old World diseases, while those that survived were further reduced through deaths by warfare with Spanish colonizers and settlers. Thousands of Spanish settlers also immigrated to Puerto Rico from the Canary Islands during the 18th and 19th centuries, so many so that whole Puerto Rican villages and towns were founded by Canarian immigrants, and their descendants would later form
5700-493: The 17th and 18th centuries. When Spain revived the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815 with the intention of attracting non-Spanish Europeans to settle in the island, thousands of Corsicans (though the island was French since 1768 the population spoke an Italian dialect similar to Tuscan Italian) during the 19th century immigrated to Puerto Rico, along with German immigrants as well as Irish immigrants who were affected by
5814-512: The 1940s, the Puerto Rican economy was small and undeveloped, it relied heavily on agriculture. At this time, Puerto Rican migration waves were mainly to Dominican Republic, the Virgin Islands, and US cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, New Orleans, and most importantly metropolitan area surrounding New York City and North Jersey. Over 5,000 Puerto Ricans migrated to Hawaii from 1900 to 1901. Puerto Rican migration to
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#17328009850255928-566: The 50 States and the US territory of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican populations in other countries are very small, not large enough to have dominance over certain neighborhoods and cities like in Florida and the US Northeast. Unsurprisingly, Puerto Rico's neighbors have the biggest Puerto Rican communities outside Puerto Rico and the US mainland, to the west Dominican Republic with as high as 20,000 Puerto Ricans according to some sources, and to
6042-785: The Africans who were brought to Puerto Rico did so as a result of the slave trade taking place from many groups in the African continent, but particularly the West Africans , the Yoruba , the Igbo , and the Kongo people . Indigenous people make up the third largest racial identity among Puerto Ricans, comprising 0.5% of the population. Although this self-identification may be ethno-political in nature since unmixed Tainos no longer exist as
6156-905: The Democrats. Upon the commencement of the 109th Congress, Fortuño was elected by his colleagues to serve as vice-president of the House Republican freshman class. He served as vice-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference during the 109th Congress and as chair during the 110th Congress. Fortuño was co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain, part of the Hispanic Conference Caucus. House Resources Committee Ranking Member Don Young appointed him in January 2007 as
6270-515: The District of Columbia through the Electoral College system. Nevertheless, both the Democratic Party and Republican Party , while not fielding candidates for public office in Puerto Rico, provide the islands with state-sized voting delegations at their presidential nominating conventions. Delegate selection processes frequently have resulted in presidential primaries being held in Puerto Rico. U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico do not elect U.S. representatives or senators . However, Puerto Rico
6384-427: The Northeast region and in Florida, in the metropolitan areas of New York , Orlando , Philadelphia , Miami , Chicago , Tampa , and Boston , among others. Though, over 95% of Puerto Ricans living outside of Puerto Rico, live in the United States (US states), there is a significant and growing number of Puerto Ricans, mainly from Puerto Rico itself but to a lesser degree stateside Puerto Ricans as well, living outside
6498-427: The November 2003 primaries with 61.28% of votes and defeated former senator Miriam Ramirez de Ferrer (4.26% of votes), former Senate President Charlie Rodriguez (6.29% of votes), and former governor and resident commissioner Carlos Romero Barceló (25.78% of votes). After winning the primary, he picked up momentum within the Republican Party ranks in the U.S. when he received the endorsement of Ed Gillespie , head of
6612-441: The Puerto Rican deaf population to be between 8,000 and 40,000. Due to ongoing colonization from the US mainland, the larger American Sign Language (ASL) is supplanting the local Puerto Rican Sign Language (PRSL, also known as LSPR: Lenguaje de Señas Puertorriqueño ). Although assumed to be a dialect or variant of ASL, it is currently unknown the degree of mutual intelligibility between Puerto Rican Sign Language nor whether it
6726-420: The Puerto Rican expressed his/her intentions to remain a Spanish subject. Since 1948, it was decided by Congress that all Puerto Ricans, whether born within the United States or in Puerto Rico, were naturally born United States citizens . Puerto Ricans and other U.S. citizens residing in Puerto Rico cannot vote in presidential elections as that is a right reserved by the U.S. Constitution to admitted states and
6840-432: The Puerto Rican people to take decisions in a sovereign manner, and to address their urgent economic and social needs, including unemployment, marginalization, insolvency and poverty". Puerto Rico has held four referendums to determine whether to retain its status as a territory or to switch to some other status such as statehood. The fourth, the Puerto Rican status referendum, 2012 occurred on November 6, 2012. The result
6954-454: The Puerto Rican populations abroad may be slightly larger as some may be stateside-born and counted as "American" rather than "Puerto Rican" on local government statistics on immigrants. Spanish and English are the official languages of the entire Commonwealth. A 1902 English-only language law was abolished on April 5, 1991. Then on January 28, 1993, the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico approved Law Number 1 again making Spanish and English
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#17328009850257068-406: The Puerto Rico Hotel Development Corporation during the administration of Pedro Rosselló . In 2004, Fortuño was elected resident commissioner of Puerto Rico , defeating Senator Roberto Prats . As resident commissioner, Fortuño represented Puerto Rico in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009; during his tenure, he served as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference , as
7182-421: The Republican minority's ranking member in the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs for the 110th Congress. Fortuño cosponsored the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007 , which would give Puerto Ricans the option to become a US state or sovereign state. In October, 2007, Fortuño filed legislation, along with Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) to assure the continued operation of the Arecibo Radiotelescope . Fortuño
7296-429: The Spanish colonial period, there was significant migration from Puerto Rico to Santo Domingo (DR), Cuba, the Virgin Islands, and Venezuela, and vice versa, because migration between neighboring colonies especially under the same European power, was common. Nearly all Puerto Ricans who migrated to these areas during these times, assimilated and intermixed with the local populations. In the early days of US rule, from 1900 to
7410-521: The Spanish province where most Puerto Ricans draw their European ancestry from, being of partial North African blood. Very few self-identified Black Puerto Ricans are of unmixed African ancestry, while a genetically unmixed Amerindian population in Puerto Rico is technically extinct despite a minuscule segment of self-identified Amerindian Puerto Ricans due to a minor Amerindian component in their ancestral mixture. Research data shows that 60% of Puerto Ricans carry maternal lineages of Native American origin and
7524-546: The Spanish spoken elsewhere. While the Spanish spoken in all Iberian, Mediterranean and Atlantic Spanish Maritime Provinces was brought to the island over the centuries, the most profound regional influence on the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico has been from that spoken in the present-day Canary Islands. The Spanish of Puerto Rico also includes occasional Taíno words, typically in the context of vegetation, natural phenomena or primitive musical instruments. Similarly, words attributed to primarily West African languages were adopted in
7638-475: The U.S. Census Bureau listed the following groups to constitute "Asian": Asian Indian, Bangladeshi , Bhutanese, Cambodian, Chinese , Filipino, Hmong , Indonesian, Japanese , Korean, Laotian, Malaysian , Nepalese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, Vietnamese , and Other Asian. Though, the largest groups come from China and India . These groups represented 0.1% of the population. People of "Some other race alone" or "Two or more races" constituted 75.3% of
7752-415: The U.S. states have all rights and privileges of other U.S. citizens living in the states. As statutory U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico may enlist in the U.S. military and have been included in the compulsory draft when it has been in effect. Puerto Ricans have fully participated in all U.S. wars and military conflicts since 1898, including World War I , World War II , the Korean War ,
7866-417: The US northeast started as early as the 1890s; however, it was a very, very small flow at the time. During the 1940s, Puerto Rican desire for independence slowly started to decline while desire for statehood and dependence on the US started rise, due to this more Puerto Ricans started to look at the US more favorably and take full advantage of their US citizenship, huge flows of Puerto Ricans started to arrive in
7980-480: The Union, and the states with the largest populations of Puerto Ricans relative to the national population of Puerto Ricans in the United States at large are the states of New York , Florida , New Jersey , and Pennsylvania , with large populations also in Massachusetts , Connecticut , California , Illinois , and Texas . For 2009, the American Community Survey estimates give a total of 3,859,026 Puerto Ricans classified as "Native" Puerto Ricans. It also gives
8094-527: The United States as a result of the passage of the Jones–Shafroth Act of 1917. Since this law was the result of Congressional legislation, and not the result of an amendment to the United States Constitution , the current U.S. citizenship of Puerto Ricans can be revoked by Congress, as they are statutory citizens , not 14th Amendment citizens . The Jones Act established that Puerto Ricans born prior to 1899 were considered naturalized citizens of Puerto Rico, and anyone born after 1898 were U.S. citizens, unless
8208-797: The United States following its invasion and annexation in the Spanish–American War , 61.8% of the people were identified as White . In the 2020 United States Census the total of Puerto Ricans that self-identified as White was 17.1% or 560,592 out of the 3,285,874 people living in Puerto Rico, down from 75.8% in the 2010 Census, reflecting a change in perceptions of race in Puerto Rico. For every United States census until 2010, most Puerto Ricans self identified as "white". The European ancestry of Puerto Ricans comes primarily from one source: Spaniards (including Canarians , Catalans , Castilians , Galicians , Asturians , Andalusians , and Basques ). The Canarian cultural influence in Puerto Rico
8322-496: The United States, particularly industrial cities in the Northeast and Midwest, coinciding with a strong decline in Puerto Ricans migrating to other countries and even other areas in the US like Baltimore, New Orleans, and Hawaii. From 1940 to 1960, the stateside Puerto Rican population rose from 69,967 to 892,513. In the modern day, there are about 5.9 million Puerto Ricans in the US mainland. Large concentrations can be found in
8436-478: The United States." Luis Fortuño's position on President Obama's initiative was to side with his Republican counterparts. On 24 February 2010, he stated in an interview with the local press that Obama's proposal would have unfortunate results for Puerto Rico." A year later, Fortuño joined with other Republican governors, signing a letter that asked for the "full repeal of the Affordable Care Act." In
8550-408: The arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, through disease and intermarriage. Many Spaniard men took Taino and West African wives and in the first centuries of the Spanish colonial period the island was overwhelmingly racially mixed. "By 1530 there were 14 native women married to Spaniards, not to mention Spaniards with concubines." Under Spanish rule, mass immigration shifted the ethnic make-up of
8664-590: The celebration, at the tail-end of a Trade Mission to Spain , he led a celebration of the life of Puerto Rico's first governor Juan Ponce de León in Santervás de Campos , near Valladolid on 21 January 2011. He also spoke that day at the Universidad de Valladolid . On 19 August 2012, voters rejected two constitutional amendments proposed by the governor and submitted by two-thirds of the Legislature for
8778-407: The contexts of foods, music or dances. There are many religious beliefs represented in the island. Religious breakdown in Puerto Rico (as of 2006) is given in the table on the right. The majority of Puerto Ricans in the island are Christians . Spiritists have a large secondary following. Muslims , Hindus , Jews , and Buddhists all have a small presence as well. Roman Catholicism has been
8892-505: The early 20th century, the majority of the people of Puerto Rico feel pride in their Puerto Rican nationality, regardless of the individual's particular racial, ethnic, political, or economic background. Many Puerto Ricans are consciously aware of the rich contribution of all cultures represented on the island. This diversity can be seen in the everyday lifestyle of many Puerto Ricans such as the profound Latin, African, and Taíno influences regarding food, music, dance, and architecture. During
9006-516: The east US Virgin Islands with 7,759, 8.9% of the territory's population, second highest percentage of any US state or territory, after Puerto Rico (95.5%) and before Connecticut (8.0%). There are small numbers of Puerto Ricans in other countries like Canada, Spain, Mexico, United Kingdom, and other countries in Europe and the Caribbean/Latin America. Due to Puerto Rico being a US territory, the vast majority of Puerto Ricans leaving
9120-405: The east side, and the levels of Taino ancestry (which, according to some research, ranges from about 5%-35%) generally highest in the southwest of the island. A study of a sample of 96 healthy self-identified White Puerto Ricans and self-identified Black Puerto Ricans in the U.S. showed that, although all carried a contribution from all 3 ancestral populations (European, African, and Amerindian),
9234-575: The first time in history would give PNP appointees a majority on the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico . With this win, Fortuño would have the opportunity to name various fixed-term posts, including the comptroller, the ombudsman and the director of the Government Ethics Office. Immediately after the 4 November 2008 general election, Governor-Elect Fortuño began the formation of an emerging administration. On 7 November, Fortuño held
9348-412: The first to have been confirmed and formally sworn in. At the end of his four-year term, Fortuño had retained 5 of the 14 members of his original constitutional cabinet, the secretaries of state, transportation, economic development and commerce, natural resources, and sports and recreation. Mitt Romney stated that he would repeal what he refers to as "Obamacare," on "my first day if elected president of
9462-626: The founding source populations of Spaniards, Africans, and Tainos, although Spanish ancestry is predominant in a majority of the population. Small amounts of Puerto Ricans may have additional ancestries from other parts of the world. Similar to many other Latin American ethnic groups, Puerto Ricans are multi-generationally mixed race, though most are European dominant in ancestry, Puerto Ricans who are "evenly mixed" can accurately be described " Mulatto ", " Quadroon ", or Tri-racial very similar to mixed populations in Cuba and Dominican Republic. According to
9576-621: The island go to the mainland United States, comprising Puerto Ricans of all income brackets and lifestyles. However, majority of the small number of Puerto Ricans living outside of the United States, including outside of Puerto Rico and other territories, are usually financially well-off and entrepreneurial, owning homes and businesses in the countries they choose to settle in. Statistical counts of Puerto Rican populations in other countries usually only center on ethnic Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico. Non-Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico and later moving to target country usually wouldn't be included in
9690-589: The island, as a result of the Royal Decree of Graces of 1815. Puerto Rico went from being two-thirds black and mulatto in the beginning of the 19th century, to being nearly 80% white by the middle of the 20th century. This was compounded by more flexible attitudes to race under Spanish rule, as epitomized by the Regla del Sacar . Under Spanish rule, Puerto Rico had laws such as Regla del Sacar or Gracias al Sacar , which allowed persons of mixed ancestry to pay
9804-401: The island. The US Census Bureau's 2015 update provides the following: 94.1% of adults speak Spanish, 5.8% speak only English and little to no Spanish, 78.3% do not speak English "very well", 15.8% are fully bilingual in both English and Spanish, 0.1% speak other languages. Public school instruction in Puerto Rico is conducted almost entirely in Spanish. There have been pilot programs in about
9918-555: The large number of Puerto Rican voters on the mainland. Since 1953, the UN has been considering the political status of Puerto Rico and how to assist it in achieving "independence" or "decolonization." In 1978, the Special Committee determined that a "colonial relationship" existed between the US and Puerto Rico. The UN's Special Committee has referred often to Puerto Rico as a nation in its reports, because, internationally,
10032-483: The largest victory margin in 44 years and giving the New Progressive Party its largest victory in history. Also he became the second governor to get more than a million votes, after Pedro Rosselló 's reelection in 1996. Accompanied with his victory, the party gained control of the legislature by historic margins and the majority of mayoralties, and with it the power to name 3 Supreme Court judges that for
10146-400: The latter two originating in the aboriginal people of the Canary Islands and Puerto Rico's pre-Columbian Taíno inhabitants, respectively. The population of Puerto Ricans and descendants is estimated to be between 8 and 10 million worldwide, with most living on the islands of Puerto Rico and in the United States mainland. Within the United States, Puerto Ricans are present in all states of
10260-558: The main Christian denomination among Puerto Ricans since the arrival of the Spanish in the 15th century, but the presence of Protestant , Mormon , Pentecostal , and Jehovah's Witnesses denominations has increased under U.S. sovereignty, making modern Puerto Rico an inter-denominational, multi-religious community. The Afro-Caribbean religion Santería is also practiced. In 1998, a news report stated that "Puerto Rico [was] no longer predominantly Catholic". Pollster Pablo Ramos wrote that
10374-500: The members of his Cabinet and other administration officials, beginning with McClintock's appointment as secretary of state, equivalent to a lieutenant governor. Fortuño's oath of office was administered in the late afternoon of 2 January 2009, at a ceremony attended by five of the U.S. territory's six living governors, Fortuño, Aníbal Acevedo Vilá , Sila María Calderón , Carlos Romero Barceló and Rafael Hernández Colón . Only former governor Rosselló, who did not publicly endorse him,
10488-507: The official languages of Puerto Rico. All official business of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico is conducted in English. The official languages of the executive branch of government of Puerto Rico are Spanish and English, with Spanish being the primary language. English is the primary language of less than 10% of the population. Puerto Rican Spanish is the dominant language of business, education and daily life on
10602-619: The organization, as well. On 22 October 2011 he was chosen president of CSG for 2012. Between 2010 and 2012, Fortuño served on the board of directors of the Center for Best Practices of the National Governors Association. On 21 August 2011, Governor Fortuño assumed the chairmanship of the Southern Governors' Association and unveiled his new initiative, which served as the organization's policy focus for
10716-467: The people of Puerto Rico are often considered to be a Caribbean nation with their own national identity. Most recently, in a June 2016 report, the Special Committee called for the United States to expedite the process to allow self-determination in Puerto Rico. More specifically, the group called on the United States to expedite a process that would allow the people of Puerto Rico to exercise fully their right to self-determination and independence. ... allow
10830-432: The population in the 2020 Census . Although the average Puerto Rican is of mixed-race, few actually identified as multiracial ("two or more races") in the 2010 census; only 3.3% did so. They more often identified with their predominant heritage or phenotype. However, in the 2020 census, the amount of Puerto Ricans identifying as multiracial went up to 49.8% and an additional 25.5% identified as "some other race", showing
10944-478: The population was 38% Roman Catholic, 28% Pentecostal, and 18% were members of independent churches. However, an Associated Press article in March 2014 stated that "more than 70 percent of [Puerto Ricans] identify themselves as Catholic". The CIA World Factbook reports that 85% of the population of Puerto Rico identifies as Roman Catholic, while 15% identify as Protestant and Other. Puerto Ricans became citizens of
11058-571: The presidency of the New Progressive Party , and accepted the party directorate's request that he serve as the acting president until 3 February, when Pierluisi was selected to succeed Fortuño. Fortuño and former first lady Lucé Vela moved to Washington, D.C., in early 2013. where he is a partner with the Steptoe & Johnson law firm in its Corporate, Securities & Finance Group and the Government Affairs and Public Policy Group. He
11172-535: The president of Dominica , Nicholas Liverpool . Following his inaugural address, Fortuño walked from the Capitol to La Fortaleza . In the evening, a free concert in Old San Juan and a state dinner hosted by the new Secretary of State were held. Of these, Secretary of State McClintock, Fortuño's first Attorney General, Sagardía, Police Superintendent José Figueroa Sancha and Corrections Secretary Molina were
11286-578: The properties are generally converted historic buildings, such as monasteries, convents, forts, etc. often located in cities. PRTC is headquartered at the building that housed the old La Princesa jail. In addition to PRTC offices, La Princesa houses an art gallery named after former PRTC Executive Director Miguel Domenech; it features the agency's art collection as well as other exhibits. Other offices include 666 Fifth Avenue, in New York, New York. Puerto Rico Open: The renewed sponsorship commitment from
11400-528: The proportions showed significant variation. Depending on individuals, although often correlating with their self-identified race, African ancestry ranged from less than 10% to over 50%, while European ancestry ranged from under 20% to over 80%. Amerindian ancestry showed less fluctuation, generally hovering between 5% and 20% irrespective of self-identified race. The majority of the European ancestry in Puerto Ricans comes from southern Spain, more specifically
11514-577: The resident commissioner under Governor Acevedo Vilá of the PDP. This was the first time in Puerto Rican history that the governor of Puerto Rico and the resident commissioner were not from the same political party. Fortuño became the first resident commissioner to caucus with the GOP since Puerto Rico gained commonwealth status; the three previous PNP resident commissioners had originally aligned themselves with
11628-440: The traditions of Spain , and more specifically Andalusia and the Canary Islands . Puerto Rico has also received immigration from other parts of Spain such as Catalonia as well as from other European countries such as France, Ireland, Italy and Germany. Puerto Rico has also been influenced by African culture , with many Puerto Ricans partially descended from Africans, though Afro-Puerto Ricans of unmixed African descent are only
11742-469: The typical Puerto Rican has between 5% and 15% Native American admixture. The Puerto Rico of today has come to form some of its own social customs, cultural matrix, historically rooted traditions, and its own unique pronunciation, vocabulary, and idiomatic expressions within the Spanish language , known as Puerto Rican Spanish . Even after the attempted assimilation of Puerto Rico into the United States in
11856-592: The year, to create jobs and spur economies in the Southern region by increasing trade, investment and exports with Latin America. The initiative, titled "Growth Beyond Our Borders," focused on creating jobs and increasing exports from Southern states and territories by the end of 2012 by enabling private sector businesses and entrepreneurs to tap into dynamic and emerging Latin American markets, which represent 550 million prospective clients. The association's membership
11970-406: The years, it has taken over several tourism-related government functions, such as the regulation and supervision of hotel casinos and of taxis. It also licenses small inns, known as paradors , under the " Paradores of Puerto Rico Program ". While the Puerto Rican version features country inns usually located in rural areas, the program borrows from the state-run enterprise of paradors of Spain. There
12084-462: Was a partner at the San Juan law firm of Correa, Collazo, Herrero, Jiménez & Fortuño, specializing in corporate finance and real estate law. Prior to joining Correa, Collazo, Herrero, Jiménez & Fortuño, he was a partner at McConnell Valdés LLC. Fortuño decided to seek the New Progressive Party's nomination for the post of resident commissioner of Puerto Rico late in the primary season. He won
12198-575: Was absent. Following tradition, the inaugural event was initially led by the outgoing secretary of state Fernando Bonilla and then by incoming secretary of state Kenneth McClintock . Among the thousands of attendees of the event were singer Marc Anthony and his then wife, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez , White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Janet Creighton and the head of Intergovernmental Affairs for President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, Nick Rathod . Foreign dignitaries included Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernández and
12312-399: Was elected vice president of the Council of State Governments (CSG), the first Puerto Rican to hold a leadership position in that intergovernmental organization since his now–secretary of state, Kenneth McClintock , served as chairman in 1999. CSG represents the three branches of government of the 55 states and territories of the nation. Several Canadian provinces are international members of
12426-488: Was first appointed executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and president of Puerto Rico's Hotel Development Corporation (HDC). In 1994, he became Puerto Rico's first secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce. Fortuño was tasked with the development and implementation of large-scale changes of Puerto Rico's tax, labor, corporate and commercial codes. Fortuño
12540-480: Was held on June 11, 2017, and offered three options: "Statehood", "Independence/Free Association", and "Current Territorial Status." With 23% of registered voters casting ballots, 97% voted for statehood. Benefits of statehood would include an additional $ 10 billion per year in federal funds, the right to vote in presidential elections, higher Social Security and Medicare benefits, and a right for its government agencies and municipalities to file for bankruptcy. The latter
12654-634: Was included in an occasional vice presidential "short list". In August 2012, Politico reported that Fortuño "is liked and trusted in the Romney campaign " and " Commerce or Interior are possibilities" for Fortuño in a potential Romney cabinet . President Barack Obama nominated Governor Fortuño to the Council of Governors, a bipartisan commission aimed at improving coordination of efforts between state and federal agencies to address matters of defense and national security. On 22 May 2010, Governor Fortuño
12768-753: Was named 1996 Man of the Year by Caribbean Business , 1995 Public Servant of the Year by the Marketing Industry and Distribution of Food and Beverage Products Association of Puerto Rico, 1994 Public Servant of the Year by the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and 1994 Distinguished Executive by the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Ponce and the Southern Region of Puerto Rico. He served on numerous boards of directors, including
12882-547: Was re-elected by the Republican Party of Puerto Rico 's General Assembly to continue serving as National Committeeman, a position he has held since 2001. He won reelection as National Committeeman in the GOP convention held on 20 May 2007 in Yauco, Puerto Rico . In 2007, Fortuño joined Representative José Serrano (D-NY) and 128 other co-sponsors in filing HR 900, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act , to establish
12996-523: Was the most suitable. This began as a temporary exile which became a permanent relocation and the last significant wave of Spanish or European migration to Puerto Rico. Other sources of European populations are Corsicans , French , Italians , Portuguese (especially Azoreans), Greeks , Germans , Irish , Scots , Maltese , Dutch , English , and Danes . In the 2020 United States Census , 7.0% of people self-identified as Black. Africans were brought by Spanish Conquistadors . The vast majority of
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