U.S.

Puerto Rico's Governor Is Making A Case For Statehood

Ricardo Rosselló reportedly tied the request in with a complaint about how slow recovery efforts have been on the island following Hurricane Maria.

Puerto Rico's Governor Is Making A Case For Statehood
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Puerto Rico renewed its push for President Trump to consider making it America's 51st state. 

The Hill reported that Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló tied the request in with a complaint about how slow recovery efforts have been on the island following Hurricane Maria. 

According to the report, Rosselló's argument is this: Puerto Rico would be farther along on the road to recovery if it were a state instead of a U.S. territory.

Rosselló, who promised to promote statehood during his 2016 campaign, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Thursday, "The truth of the matter is we've been treated like second-class citizens."

He's most likely referring to the fact that while people born in Puerto Rico are natural born U.S. citizens, they aren't allowed to vote in U.S. presidential elections and they don't have voting representation in Congress.

Puerto Ricans voted overwhelmingly in favor of Puerto Rico becoming a state in a 2017 referendum — though it's worth noting that less than one-quarter of registered voters actually participated.