BY STUDENT
Many have regarded the United States as the land of
opportunity. The “American dream,” founded upon an idea that has been conceived
since the founding of this nation “that all men are create equal” has drawn
people from all over the world. Promises of upward social mobility, equality,
and rights have been a leading cause of immigrants coming to the United States
to settle down in hopes of a better life. Waves of immigrants coming from many
different countries throughout history have caused cities to grow. In past few
decades there has been a large influx of Latinos to the United States. As more
immigrants from Latin America make their way into the United States, government
officials debate on what measures should be taken to control Latino
immigration. Several politicians have taken an aggressive stance against
immigration, cracking down on unlawful entry into the United States. On the
other hand, in the last 50 years Cuban’s were subject to relatively loose
policies on immigration, policies that some would say promote transnational
Cuban migration. This in turn has lead to a substantial increase in Cuban
immigrants settling in US cities.
Immediately after the Cuban Revolution, US political
relations with Cuba deteriorated substantially. The new Cuban leader, Fidel
Castro, adopted a Marxist-Leninist model of development, which directly
contradicted US ideas of democracy. The United States responded by taking a
strong political and economic stance against the Castro’s Regime and
established an embargo against Cuba. However, the clash of political ideologies
between the United States and Cuban leaders has aided Cuban citizens in
obtaining legal permanent residence in the United States. In 1966 the United
States passed the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) which till this day states that
Cuban citizens and natives who have been present in the United States for over
one year can legally apply for a green card for themselves, their spouses and
immediate family members. Under the Clinton administration a revision of the
CAA, called the “wet foot, dry foot policy,” allowed anyone fleeing Cuba to be
eligible to receive permanent residency in the United States as long as they
weren’t discovered in the waters between the nations.
Due to these policies, Cubans have more easily been able to get
citizenship, which is a possible reason for why Cubans have the highest
percentage of Latinos with high school education and are among the highest
percentage of home owners. Cubans’ socioeconomic status also contributes to
their strong presence in the US Government and their influence on US cities. The
current mayor of Miami is a Cuban native. Over 70% of Cubans currently reside
in metropolitan areas such as New York and Miami. Despite only having a
population of about 1.2 million Latinos and its geographical location, Miami is
regarded by many as the “Capital of Latin America.” Songs such as Gente de
Zona’s “La Gozadera” about Latin America and Latinos include the US city of
Miami. This shows that Miami is not only viewed by the United States as a
Latinized city, but that Miami in itself has transcended national boarders to be
considered by Latinos from other nations as one of their own cities. The Cuban
population has had a significant role in Miami’s international presence as a
Latino city.
"Green Card for a Cuban Native or Citizen", United
States Citizenship and Immigration Services, accessed October 27, 2015, http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/other-ways-get-green-card/green-card-cuban-native-or-citizen
Sylvia Rusin, Jie Zong, and Jeanne Batalova, "Cuban
Immigrants in the United States", Migration Policy
Institute, April 7, 2015, accessed October 27, 2015, http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/cuban-immigrants-united-states
Gustavo Lopez and Eileen Patten, "The Impact of Slowing
Immigration: Foreign-Born Share Falls Among 14 Largest U.S. Hispanic Origin
Groups", Pew Research Center, September 15, 2015, accessed October 27, 2015, http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/09/15/the-impact-of-slowing-immigration-foreign-born-share-falls-among-14-largest-us-hispanic-origin-groups/#diverse-origins
i went to miami once and indeed it is really latinized. I was walking in the streets and while asking for directions and the people would answer in spanish and would be offended if you would respond back in english.
ReplyDeleteThe stat on the most latinos with HS diplomas are cubans makes a lot of sense in the sense that they are the only ones in the US government, and three cubans are running or were running for president at one point.
This was really interesting! I didn't know that Miami was considered the capital of Latin America. I also didn't know about the Cuban Adjustment Act, which is a really good way of helping Cubans get green cards. I learned in a Cultures of Latin America class that there were Cubans who live in extreme poverty and are oppressed, so the fact that they have a chance to come here and gain citizenship is good. The U.S. doesn't have a good track record of handling the influx of Latino immigrants, but at least one group of Latinos has the chance to come to the U.S. and make a better life for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI found this post interesting because I wrote my paper on Miami. At times policy makers were less harsh on Cuban immigrants because the first wave of Cuban's that came to the Unites States was mostly made up of educated individuals who could run a business. This made this group more attractive to allow to be citizens than other Latino groups.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post really made me realize the importance Miami to Latinos. I have never been to Miami but i would really love to go. I always thought Miami was more of a white ruled territory that people who were rich were the ones who lived there. I never knew that Miami had become latinized. I knew that many latinos move to florida but I didn't understand why, I always thought New York was the first choice for every latino. Since New York has grown its population of Latino people, Living in New York makes me believe that it is a big city with a lot of opportunities.
ReplyDeleteFrom what we talked about in class, the Cuban population was extremely helpful in the growth of Miami. The fact that the U.S. accepted in fleeing Cubans is great and because of this many Cubans were able to take root in Miami and turn the city in a place where their businesses were successful and could thrive. This is very different treatment the U.S. gave Puerto Ricans who are legal citizens but are still being treated like unwanted immigrants, and I find it interesting how Cubans and Puerto Ricans can be received so differently.
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