Heinrich to push for Puerto Rico statehood

Mar. 2—ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said he will be pushing for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state.

At a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday Heinrich said he would be working with Rep. Darren Soto, D-Florida, and Jennifer González-Colón, Puerto Rico's nonvoting member of the House, to introduce legislation that would start the process for making Puerto Rico a state.

Heinrich said he's worked on committees dealing with issues to territorial status for 12 years while in Congress. He said New Mexico struggled for years to achieve statehood, which it did in 1912.

He said it took 50 New Mexico statehood bills and 64 years before it became the 47th state.

"One of the things that shocked me was how similar the struggle really is, that the arguments haven't really changed," Heinrich said.

He said millions of people who live in Puerto Rico should have the same representation as other Americans. He said that last November, a majority of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood.

"It is long past due for the millions of American citizens living in Puerto Rico to get the representation that they deserve," Heinrich said.