Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) died after a battle with cancer on March 13, 2025, at the age of 77. Grijalva was a member of Congress for nearly a quarter of a century and was influential in the efforts to provide a permanent, non-colonial political status for Puerto Rico.
Grijalva began his career in public service as a community organizer, serving on the School Board in his neighborhood, and then on the County Board of Supervisors before running for Congress. He ultimately served as Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee during the 116th and 117th Congresses (2019-2022).
Supporting Puerto Rico
Over the years, Grijalva supported federal funding for Puerto Rico as well as taking action on the question of political status. Grijalva introduced a bill in 2021 rejecting the Insular Cases. This group of Supreme Court decisions from the early 20th century is still used to justify unequal treatment of the territories of the United States, including Puerto Rico.
Grijalva also championed the decision to remove the option of continuing as a territory from Puerto Rico political status votes. He pointed out that the 2012 referendum had clearly shown that Puerto Rico voters were unwilling to continue as a territory, noting that Congress is currently governing Puerto Rico without the consent of the governed.
Grijalva to DOJ: Puerto Ricans Have Rejected Current Territory Status
Puerto Rico Status Act
In 2021, Grijalva held multiple hearings on Puerto Rico’s status, in Spanish and in English, and worked with Reps. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Darren Soto (D-FL), and others to create the compromise bill on Puerto Rico status which was passed by the House in 2022.
“Finding a resolution to Puerto Rico’s political status has been one of my top priorities as Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee,” Grijalva said in a statement. “But I know that the decolonization of Puerto Rico shouldn’t be a decision made by lawmakers in Washington alone. That’s why I’m so proud of both the work and commitment of my colleagues toward incorporating feedback from the leaders and residents of Puerto Rico into this final bill.”
The Puerto Rico Status Act was reintroduced in the last Congress and was pending in both the House and the Senate at the end of the last congressional session. It has not been reintroduced during the current session of Congress, which began in January.
Grijlava is mourned by his family, his constituents, and his colleagues in Congress.
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