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Yes. The U.S. Constitution states that a U.S. territory belongs to and is subject to the laws of the United States. According to Article IV of the Constitution, "The Congress shall have the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed, as to prejudice any claims of the United States, or of any particular state." User-edited site Wikipedia offers a nice definition. Basically, a U.S. territory is "any extent of region under the jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States,
including all waters (around islands or continental tracts)." Historically, the U.S. claims the same rights and laws with the territory that it does within its borders. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established that "territorial status was a step on the path to statehood." Alaska and Hawaii were the most recent territories to become states, back in 1959. Today, Puerto Rico is arguably the most notable U.S. territory. Whether it will one day become a state is anybody's guess.
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