Declaring himself an immigrant, New York-born Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was ready for a flood of Puerto Ricans to come to the state, Fox News reported, noting that Puerto Ricans, like Cuomo, are American citizens.
Cuomo, whose grandparents were born in Italy while he and his father, former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, were born in the state, was asked on MSNBC if Puerto Ricans will be welcomed there in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which left most of the island without electricity and communication networks, per Fox News.
"New York is prepared to do whatever we can do to help," Cuomo said. "We believe in immigration in New York. We are a state of immigrants. I am an immigrant. I'm wholly against this anti-immigrant fever that has been stoked during the political campaign."
Puerto Ricans are not immigrants. The United States annexed Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War of 1898, and it's currently a U.S. territory, according to U.S. News & World Report. Congress removed all doubt with the Nationality Act of 1940, establishing that Puerto Rico was a part of the United States for citizenship purposes, the magazine said.
In June, Cuomo told a New York City audience that if the Trump administration wants to "deport immigrants" that they should start with him, Fox News said.
Cuomo, who has been governor since 2011, was born in New York City in 1957. Along with being the son of a former governor, his brother is CNN news anchor Chris Cuomo, stated Biography.com.
On Sunday, Cuomo launched a statewide donation drive for nonperishable goods for Puerto Rican hurricane victims. Entertainer Jennifer Lopez, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, and Cesar Perales are serving as co-chairs of the drive, noted a statement from the governor's office.
Some on social media took a humorous view of Cuomo counting himself as an immigrant.
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