SEE IT: Puerto Ricans reject 51st state push as residents fear taxes could skyrocket

Several Puerto Ricans interviewed by Fox News Digital in San Juan, Puerto Rico voiced opposition to becoming America’s 51st state, arguing that it would send the economy into turmoil and strip the island of its cultural identity.

"I don't think it should be a state," Carly, who grew up in Puerto Rico and now lives in Connecticut , told Fox News Digital.

"I don't want them to do PR how they did with Hawaii.

I don't want taxes to spike.

People’s wages here are really low to maintain life here." Statehood for Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since the United States acquired it from Spain in 1898, has long been debated among both the U.S. government and Puerto Rico’s local government.

CARIBBEAN HOT SPOT GRIPPED BY WATER CRISIS, AND TOURISTS SCRAMBLE TO RESCHEDULE PLANS The statehood debate carries significant economic implications for the island, including potential changes to how Puerto Rican residents and businesses are taxed.

Puerto Rico operates under a different federal tax structure than the states — statehood would bring the island more fully into the federal tax system.

"Everything would become more expensive than it already is and locals [have] already been struggling for a while now," Alejandra from San Juan, Puerto Rico, said.

She continued, "It would make stuff even worse." Puerto Rican Gov.

Jenniffer González Colón, a member of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party and ally of President Donald Trump, is an advocate of the push for Puerto Rico to become the 51st state.

She argues that achieving statehood goes hand-in-hand with achieving equality, as her party has claimed unequal treatment in numerous federal programs.

PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW RECOGNIZING UNBORN BABIES AS HUMAN BEINGS One Puerto Rican resident who spoke with Fox News Digital cited the public scrutiny of Trump as a reason for not wanting to gain statehood.

Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, residents of the territory cannot vote in the general election for president.

"There's a lot of controversy with the… especially the president right now," a woman from Puerto Rico who referred to herself as "Boo" said.