Cuban Coming To America Research Paper

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Cubans: Coming to America Alethea F. Brock Thomas Edison State College Abstract Latino immigrant’s stories have been well documented in movies, documentaries and literature. While they their histories and experiences may be similar, Cubans have a distinct story. Their rationale for coming to the United States is distinctly their own. It was a politically motivated flee from a new communist government. Cubans: Coming to America While Hispanics from Central and South America and the Caribbean share many commonalities, Cuban-American migration patterns, motivation and history differ greatly. Cuban’s “subcultural values” of “attitudes toward work, personal qualities, and the role of individuals in society” are different…show more content…
With each migration came a different social and economic class of the Cuban population. The numbers of Cuban immigrants prior to the turn of the 19th century is unknown since Cubans were not differentiated from those immigrating from other West Indies islands (Parillo, 369). The second migration occurred during the 1959-1962 and was comprised of well-educated and upper-class professionals that had been alienated by Fidel Castro’s new communist regime. This group was post-revolutionary refugees that many referred to as “displaced bourgeoisie” (Parillo, 369). Most Cubans of this era view themselves as political exiles rather than immigrants. These affluent Cubans settled in large numbers in Miami and New York City, quickly assimilated and with them brought economic vigor into the community. To date, Cubans are the largest Hispanic population in Miami, FL. After 1961, Castro only allowed Cuban citizens to take five dollars and were required to relinquish all properties and assets to the…show more content…
Fidel Castro’s political exiles always had the intent of returning once he was removed from power. In Sean Buffington’s article on Cuban Americans he explains that “Cuban Americans are becoming less committed to the struggle against Castro; or at least, the anti-Castro struggle is becoming less central to Cuban American identity”. The documentary Cuban Exiles in Florida explains that second and third generation Cuban-Americans feel differently than their original politically-motivated forefathers. Younger Cubans are more connected to their adoptive country and new immigrants are more likely to come for economics and academia than the politics of their grandparents. Buffington explains that “a principal challenge facing the Cuban American community in the years ahead is a reconsideration of what it means to be Cuban American. Perhaps that definition will become more elastic and accommodating, and the Cuban American community will embrace ever greater internal diversity. What had once seemed a politically united community is divided on issues like migration, Castro, and U.S.
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