Isabel González was a Puerto Ricen Activist who set the foundation and paved the way for Puerto Ricans to be given United States citizenship. When she came to New York looking for work to provide for her children back in Puerto Rico, she was ultimately deported under the guise that she was an "alien immigrant" and that she was "likely to become public charge" – meaning that she was assumed to rely on government assistance – by the United States Treasury Department, specifically by immigration commissioner William William Williams. She refused to give up, as she went on to sue the United States government in the landmark case Gonzales v. Williams, where she argued that since Puerto Rico is an annexed territory of the United States, Puerto Ricans are all citizens and should not be detained, deported, labeled as alien immigrants, or denied entry into the United States. Her Supreme Court case was the first time in American history where the court – and the public – tackled the citizenship of the people within territories annexed by the United States. Even after the supreme court case, González continued to advocate Puerto Rican citizenship and for a better public image for Puerto Ricans by writing letters published in the New York Times, expressing that Puerto Ricans were mistreated and deceived out of Spanish citizenship, making it necessary for the United States to end the cycle of mistreatment and give Puerto Ricans U.S. Citizenship.
Isabel González not only started the Puerto Rican citizenship and liberation movement, but also fought for the humanity of Hispanic immigrants and colonized peoples all over the United States. She inspired – and continues to inspire – many to follow her path and fight for a better future and a better portrayal of the immigrant community as a whole.