History of the Jews in Puerto Rico Very few American Jews settled in Puerto Rico after it was ceded by Spain to the United States under the terms of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish–American War. The first large group of Jews to settle in Puerto Rico were refugees fleeing German–occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. The second influx came in the 1950s, when thousands of Cuban Jews (most of Eastern-European descent) fled after Fidel Castro came to power. The majority immigrated to Miami, Florida, but a sizable portion chose to establish and integrate themselves on the neighboring island because of Puerto Rico's
Statehood movement in Puerto Rico benefits to statehood include increased disability benefits and Medicaid funding as well as the higher (federal) minimum wage. Currently, residents of Puerto Rico only have to pay federal income taxes on work performed in the US states and District of Columbia, and not at home, unless working for the U.S. Government. This benefit could go away if Puerto Rico becomes a state. U.S. corporations that currently operate there as controlled foreign corporations may relocate if Puerto Rico became a state and federal corporate taxes apply. Arguments against admitting Puerto Rico as a state include the failure of the Puerto Rican