Puerto Rican Immigration Pros And Cons Essay

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However, the legal opinions known as the Insular Cases plagued Puerto Rican immigrants. These cases argued that Puerto Rico was full of “alien races”. This meant that Puerto Rican Immigrants would not be covered by the United States constitution. America treated Puerto Ricans unfairly by not allowing them to have passports or any legal standing in the United States until 1917. In 1917 Puerto Ricans became United States citizens under the Jones-Shafroth act. The only reason this occurred was because World War I was beginning. The U.S. government needed troops to send down to defend the Panama Canal and they felt that whites weren’t suited to fight in tropical climates. Instead they labeled puerto rican citizens as “immunes” due to them being

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