Besides the complexities of the Puerto Rico Status Question (see VDARE.COM archive here) there’s another important question that must be asked in the meantime. That is, how does Puerto Rico fit into our overall immigration system?

This is not a reference to the status of Puerto Ricans themselves, who are U.S. citizens, but of non-U.S. citizens who may enter the U.S. through Puerto Rico. You could call that the Puerto Rico Border Question.

Puerto Rico’s new governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla (who is anti-statehood) has just made life easier for illegal aliens in Puerto Rico. According to El Nuevo Día, the island’s paper of record:

In a message in which he embraced human liberty, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla announced that through executive orders and laws he will broaden the rights of illegal immigrants resident on the island.

García Padilla aboga por libertades humanas en natalicio de Muñoz Marín, February 18, 2013

Under the governor’s policies, driver’s licenses are to be issued, and health care to be provided, without pesky questions about legal status. Also, free public education is guaranteed for illegal aliens on the island of Puerto Rico.

Concerning the driver’s licenses, Garcia Padilla was asked about the U.S. jurisdiction over Puerto Rico, and he correctly responded that driver’s licenses were issued to illegal aliens in some U.S. states. The governor argues that the licenses will not help illegal aliens get to the U.S. mainland, as he says they will not be valid for travel purposes (by which he must mean air travel).

The bottom line is, this is something else to keep an eye on.