But Puerto Rico is also in economic crisis, losing manufacturing jobs and looking for new opportunities. The Island government recruits high-technology firms in electronics and pharmaceuticals offering tax exemptions from both Puerto Rican and U.S. taxes. Despite the generous benefits, the strategy does not build or sustain Puerto Rico’s economy or keep U.S. corporations on the Island as they move elsewhere in search of cheaper labor and even higher profits in the global economy.

Puerto Ricans searching for jobs and economic opportunities continue to return to the Island and to emigrate to the U.S. creating the two-way, back-and-forth migration pattern that is a major characteristic of the Puerto Rican experience today.