Negative characterizations of Puerto Ricans have for decades shaped Washington’s decisions, directly contributing to the island’s economic woes and magnifying its struggle for equal citizenship, new research shows. This history, says Northeastern University professor Amílcar Barreto, reflects a broader pattern started in Congress after the end of the Cold War.
In his new paper “Race, worthiness and attenuated citizenship: Puerto Ricans in the post-Cold War era,” Barreto — a Puerto Rico native and professor of cultures, societies and global studies; international affairs; and political science — examines congressional records dating to the 1990s. “This new rhetorical style lays the groundwork for diluting citizenship of people of color, which in turn justifies treating them callously, all the while pretending to uphold the principle of equality of citizenship,” Barreto writes.
While Puerto Rican studies often center on judicial rulings, Barreto chose to focus on Congress because of its power to change laws. He highlights three historical moments that, he argues, have profoundly impacted the course of federal-territorial relations and the quality of Puerto Rican citizenship: the 1996 repeal of Tax Code Section 936, the 1999 campaign to demilitarize the island of Vieques, and the 2016 passage of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA).
These events, he says, reinforced portrayals of Puerto Ricans as disloyal, irresponsible, expendable and unworthy. “The issues that I discuss in that article help to explain why Puerto Rico has been a territory for 100 years, and why it’s starting a second century under colonial rule, to be blunt,” he says. “Federal laws apply to us, but we have no say in the creation of those laws. It’s unidirectional.”
