The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association was originally founded in 1979 and reactivated in 2007 by a group of college students in the continental United States, with the purpose of promoting federated statehood for Puerto Rico and the absentee voting of Puerto Rican students enrolled in stateside colleges and universities.

The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association is an organization for all students who view statehood as the solution to Puerto Rico's political status dilemma. Puerto Rico should become the fifty-first state of the Union in order to fully guarantee the constitutional rights of American citizens in Puerto Rico and protect democracy and freedom at home.

Puerto Rico is the world’s oldest colony with over 500 years of colonial status. Furthermore, Puerto Rico is void of elemental rights for any American citizen that lives in the Island.

Residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote for the President of the United States despite being American citizens. They have no representation whatsoever in the Senate and have only a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. Puerto Ricans have no tangible say on the legislation that affects them. Additionally, thousands of Puerto Ricans have fought and died in defense of the United States without acquiring the full rights accorded to all American citizens in the 50 states.

The Puerto Rican issue of political status is a major problem of American democracy which must be addressed. This is more so because the United States has been a worldwide beacon for democracy over the past 230 years. It is a regrettable circumstance that, even now in the 21st century, American citizens in Puerto Rico are only given second-class citizenship.
A domestic issue of this proportion cannot be ignored. Puerto Ricans and all Americans deserve better.

Accordingly, the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association is an organization for all students who view statehood as the solution to Puerto Rico's political status quandary. Our objective is that Puerto Rico become the 51st state of the Union, in order to fully guarantee our rights as American citizens, and to ensure the social and economic prosperity of Puerto Rico into the future.