Cuban American

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Cuban American ( English Cuban American , Spanish Cubano estadounidense , often also Cubanoamericano ) is a citizen of the United States who describes his national origin as Cuban . Cuban Americans are the third largest group of white Hispanics in the United States, as well as of Hispanics as a whole.

Many communities across the United States have significant Cuban-American populations. Miami stands out here as the most popular Cuban-American community, owing to its proximity to Cuba, followed by North Jersey , Union City and West New York .

immigration

Before the Louisiana Purchase and the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, all of Florida and Louisiana provinces were under the general governance of Cuba . The general governor ( Capitán general ) was a Spanish title comparable to a British colonial governor. Consequently, Cuban immigration to the United States has a long history, beginning with the Spanish colonial period in 1565, when St. Augustine in Florida was founded by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and hundreds of Spanish soldiers and their families relocated from Cuba to St. Augustine to be there to start a new life. Thousands of Cuban settlers also moved to Louisiana and Texas between 1778 and 1802 during Spanish rule .

Many of the early Cubans migrated to New York , St. Augustine, Miami, Key West or Tampa in Florida. Many of them became part of general American culture after the United States robbed Florida from the Spanish in 1821.

In the late 19th century, a Cuban entrepreneur named Vicente Martinez-Ybor started a cigar factory in Tampa. Other Cuban businessmen soon followed suit. Within a few years, Tampa grew into one of the thriving tobacco industries. Numerous Cuban families lived and worked in this area, which is also known as Ybor City . Many third and fourth generation Cuban Americans are descended directly from these early immigrants.

There were smaller waves of Cuban immigration at the beginning of the 20th century (1900–1959). The majority of them settled in Florida or the northeastern United States. The majority of the estimated 100,000 immigrants came to economic difficulties, such as during periods of global economic crisis in 1929, more volatile sugar prices, but there were also refugees from the supported also from diplomatic circles of the USA Batista dictatorship in the.

US localities with a high percentage of Cuban Americans

The communities with a population of more than 20 percent of Cuban-American residents:

  1. Westchester 65.69%
  2. Hialeah 62.12%
  3. Coral Terrace 61.87%
  4. West Miami 61.61%
  5. University Park 59.80%
  6. Olympia Heights 57.65%
  7. Tamiami 56.63%
  8. Hialeah Gardens 54.31%
  9. Medley 51.91%
  10. Sweetwater 49.92%
  11. Palm Springs North 43.59%
  12. Miami Lakes 42.28%
  13. Kendale Lakes 38.58%
  14. Fountainbleau 37.29%
  15. Miami 34.14%
  16. Miami Springs 31.83%
  17. Richmond West 29.30%
  18. Coral Gables 28.72%
  19. Virginia Gardens 26.11%
  20. South Miami Heights 25.70%
  21. Kendall 21.31%
  22. Miami Beach 20.51%
  23. Surfside 20.15%

US localities with the highest percentage of Cuba-born population

The U.S. parishes with a Cuba-born population greater than 20 percent are:

  1. Westchester, FL 55.8%
  2. Hialeah, FL 53.5%
  3. Coral Terrace, FL 51.9%
  4. West Miami, FL 50.5%
  5. South Westside, FL 48.3%
  6. University Park, FL 48.1%
  7. Hialeah Gardens, FL 47.5%
  8. Medley, FL 46.0%
  9. Tamiami, FL 45.7%
  10. Olympia Heights, FL 45.2%
  11. Sweetwater, FL 45.2%
  12. Westwood Lakes, FL 44.9%
  13. Sunset, FL 32.7%
  14. Fountainbleau, FL 32.3%
  15. North Westside, FL 30.4%
  16. Miami, FL 30.3%
  17. Miami Lakes, FL 30.1%
  18. Palm Springs North, FL 29.8%
  19. Kendale Lakes, FL 28.9%
  20. Kendale Lakes-Lindgren Acres, FL 24.3%
  21. Stock Island, FL 23.3%
  22. Miami Springs, FL 22.2%
  23. Glenvar Heights, FL 21.0%
  24. Chula Vista, FL 20.9%
  25. Kendall West, FL 20.4%
  26. South Miami Heights, FL 20.0%

1960-1980

Political upheaval in Cuba generated further waves of immigrants to the USA. In 1959, after the end of the Cuban Revolution , a great exodus began from Cuba towards the United States. By 1979 hundreds of thousands left Cuba to start a new life in the United States. In many cases they formed the backbone of the anti-Castro movement. Most of the Cubans who came to the United States belonged to the educated middle or upper class .

Between December 1960 and October 1962, more than 14,000 Cuban children traveling alone arrived in the United States as part of the Operación Pedro Pan (Operation Peter Pan). Because of the rumors that the US government had deliberately spread, their parents feared that the revolutionary government would take their children away from them and send them to an Eastern Bloc state for education . They therefore followed the advice to send them to the States as soon as possible. Once in the USA, the children were welcomed by representatives of Catholic charities and, if they had any, placed with relatives. Otherwise they were taken to foster families, orphanages or boarding schools until their parents were finally able to leave Cuba.

In order to organize aid for the newly arrived Cuban immigrants, the US Congress passed the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act in 1966 . This Cuban refugee program provided more than $ 1.3 billion in direct financial assistance. They had also entitled to social welfare , Medicare , free English lessons, scholarships and subsidized College - loans . Some banks even lent to Cubans who had no collateral or credit , simply because they were of Cuban descent. This enabled many Cuban Americans to start their own small business. Cuban-owned businesses and low cost of living have made Miami and Union City, New Jersey, major centers of Cuban-American culture. Miami offered comparable climatic, geographical and architectural conditions, and Union City was attracted by the opportunities opened up by the local embroidery industry . Westchester, in Miami-Dade County , represents the most Cuban and Cuban-American populated area in the United States, followed by Hialeah .

The 1980s

Another great wave of an estimated 125,000 Cuban immigrants occurred in the early 1980s during the Mariel boating crisis . Together with the 125,000 immigrants, around 25,000 criminals, the mentally disabled, homosexuals and other members of undesirable fringe groups of Cuban society, which Fidel Castro knowingly infiltrated into the northern neighboring state in order to spoil the so-called “imperialist American society”, came. Some of the “Marielitos” also became successful because of their own efforts, government aid and support from former immigrants, relatives and aid organizations.

Mid 1990s to 2000s

Since the mid-1990s, after the so-called wet foot, dry foot policy came into force , immigration patterns have changed. Many Cuban immigrants started from the south or west coast of Cuba and landed on the Mexican peninsula Yucatán , some also on the offshore Isla Mujeres . From there, the Cubans traveled to the US border and were given asylum there . Many Cubans who had no families in Miami settled in Houston , which resulted in a growing Cuban American community there. It was there that the term dusty foot was formed for those immigrants who came to the USA via Mexico. In 2005, the US Department of Homeland Security interrupted its previous practice of arresting every Cuban who illegally crossed the US-Mexico border and instead granted immediate suspension.

Jorge Ferragut, a Cuban immigrant who founded Casa Cuba , an organization to help Cuban refugees arriving in Texas, said in an article in 2008 that a large proportion of Cubans have left Cuba for economic rather than political reasons since 2000. In October 2008, Cuba and Mexico signed an agreement to prevent immigration via Mexico.

assimilation

Many Cuban Americans adapted to the American culture, which also has Cuban influences.

In the 1980s, Cuban Americans began to settle outside of Little Havana on the outskirts of Miami such as Hialeah, Kendall, or the more affluent Coral Gables and Miami Lakes . Many South and Central Americans , together with younger refugees from Cuba, replaced the long-established Cuban-Americans who spread within Florida in Fort Lauderdale , Orlando , Tampa Bay or West Palm Beach or who moved to other states across the United States. Cuban Americans reside in all 51 states, including Washington, DC , as well as Puerto Rico , which hosted thousands of anti-Castro refugees in the 1960s. Increasing Cuban American populations are also found in California , Georgia , Illinois , Indiana , New York , North Carolina, and Virginia .

Recently, there has been a substantial increase in the number of new Cuban American communities, for example in Hazleton, Pennsylvania ; Raleigh (North Carolina) , Palm Desert and, more recently, also with small growth in Appleton (Wisconsin) .

Cuban Americans have been very successful in starting businesses and gaining political influence. They transformed Miami from a retiree beach community to a modern city with notable Caribbean influence.

Cuban American culture

Political attitudes

Cuban Americans tend politically more to conservatism than other Latino groups in the United States and represent a major electoral bloc of the Republican Party is in Florida. Many Cuban Americans have a great hatred of the Castro regime and go therefore perhaps most famously with the strictest anti-communist attitude of Republican Compliant.

The failed Bay of Pigs invasion and its association with John F. Kennedy leaves many Cubans wary of the Democratic Party . Ronald Reagan , on the other hand, is very popular in the Cuban exile community, and a street in Miami was named after him. The repatriation of the Cuban refugee child Elián González by the Clinton administration is likely to have influenced the political worldview of some Cuban Americans in such a way that they support the Republicans.

During the US presidential election in 2008 , from which Democrat Barack Obama emerged victorious, and the time thereafter, it became clear that many Cuban Americans gave up their previous tough stance and advocated a more pragmatic policy towards Cuba. One reason for this is probably that the generation that left Cuba immediately after the revolution is slowly dying out. It is true that only 35% of Miami Cubans voted for Obama in the elections. However, while Republican rival John McCain won 84% of the vote from those over 65, 55% of the younger generation voted for Obama. In Obama's 2012 re-election , 47% of Cuban Americans in Florida voted for him. This is by far the highest value that a Democratic presidential candidate has ever achieved.

Food culture

see also Cuban cuisine

Cuban cuisine is varied, with rice usually being a staple and served for both lunch and dinner. Typical Cuban dishes are arroz con pollo (chicken with rice), pan con bistec (steak sandwich), platanos maduros (sweet plantains ), lechon asado (pork), yuca , flan , batido de mamey (milkshakes from Mamey ), papayas and Guava paste.

The Cuban version of pizza contains bread, which is usually soft, cheese, toppings and a condiment sauce. Picadillo , ground beef fried with tomatoes, green pepper, green olives, and garlic is another popular Cuban dish. It is served with rice and / or fried ripe plantains.

beverages

Cubans usually drink café cubano: a small cup of coffee, called cafecito (or colada ), which roughly corresponds to a traditional, sweetened espresso . Milk is also often added, which is then called cortadito for a small cup or café con leche in a larger cup.

A popular soft drink is Materva , a mate lemonade. Jupiña and ironbeer are other drinks that come from Cuba. They have also been produced in Miami since the beginning of the Castro era.

Population development and ethnic composition

Official immigration to the USA
Year of
immigration 		white black Other Asians number
1959-1964 93.3 1.2 5.3 0.2 144.732
1965-1974 87.7 2.0 9.1 0.2 247.726
1975-1979 82.6 4.0 13.3 0.1 29.508
1980 80.9 5.3 13.7 0.1 94.095
1981-1989 85.7 3.1 10.9 0.3 77.835
1990-1993 84.7 3.2 11.9 0.2 60.244
1994-2000 85.8 3.7 10.4 0.7 174.437
Total 87.2 2.9 0.6 0.2 828,577
Cuban Immigrant Skin Color (2000)
Countries of origin white black Other
CubaCuba Cuba 85.0% 3.6% 7.1%
Total: 1,241,685 1,055,432 44,700 88.159

Most Cuban Americans are of Spanish ancestry, but many are also of French , Portuguese , Italian , Irish , Russian , Lebanese-Arab, or Chinese ancestry. The Afro-Cubans and mulattos make up a significant proportion of Cuban immigrants.

During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, large waves of Canary Islands , Catalans , Andalusians and Galicians settled in Cuba. After Haiti's War of Independence in the early 19th century, many of the Haitian white population fled to Cuba. Another small but not to be despised influence comes from the Middle East , such as Lebanon or Palestine . Another significant population group is the Jews , who immigrated to Cuba from many different countries mainly during World War II , including the Sephardic Jews from Turkey and the Ashkenazi Jews from Poland, Germany and the Soviet Union. Other European groups of origin such as Italians, Germans, Swedes or Hungarians all together make up a small percentage of the total population. Many Chinese also came to Cuba as contract workers and founded what was then the largest Chinatown in the western hemisphere. However, most of the Chinocubans later emigrated to Florida, USA.

According to the last available census in 2000, there were 1,241,685 Cuban Americans in the US, born in both Cuba and the US. They represented 3.5% of all Hispanics in the United States. Around 85% of Cuban Americans identified themselves as white , mostly of Hispanic descent, which is the highest percentage of the population compared to any other Hispanic group. Florida has cultural ties with the large Hispanic American community as well as Spanish Europeans.

Economy

The median household income of Cuban Americans is 36,671 US dollars , making it higher than other Latin American immigrant groups, but lower than in whites of non-Hispanic origin. Cuban Americans born in the United States, however, have a higher median income of around $ 50,000 than descendants of non-Hispanic white immigrants, who have a median income of around $ 48,000.

education

25% of Cuban Americans have a college degree. This rate is roughly twice that of other Latin American immigrant groups, but lower than groups of non-Hispanic whites, which have a 30% college graduation rate. However, 39% of US-born Cuban Americans have a college or higher school degree, compared to 30% of non-Hispanic whites and only 12% of all other Hispanic groups.

religion

Because of their mostly Spanish ancestry, most Cuban Americans are members of the Roman Catholic Church . Some Cubans practice religions of African origin, such as Santería or Ifá , which arose from the amalgamation of Catholic Christianity with traditional African religions. However, there are also Protestants (especially from the Pentecostal movement ), syncretists and Jews among Cuban Americans.

Immigration policy

Until the 1980s, all Cuban were refugees in the United States welcomed as political refugees. This changed in the 1990s when only those Cubans who made it to US soil by themselves were granted refugee status ( wet feet - dry feet policy ). In addition, the US diplomatic interest group in Havana issues up to 20,000 immigrant visas to Cubans annually, some of them to the politically persecuted, some to relatives of Cubans already resident in the USA for the purpose of family reunification and some through a lottery (popularly: el bombo ) applicants wishing to leave the country are assigned.

According to a census in 1970 lived Cuban Americans as well as other Latinos in all 50 states . However, as later census showed, the majority of Cuban immigrants settled in South Florida. At the end of the 1990s, the flow of immigrants from Cuba temporarily decreased. While Cuban Americans born in the USA left their enclaves , other nationalities settled there.

In late 1999, the Elián González case hit the headlines. The mother fled with the then 6-year-old boy on Floridastraße , where the mother drowned, but the boy was recovered alive. A custody battle broke out between his relatives in Florida and his retarded father in Cuba. The fiasco ended on April 22nd, 2000 when INS officials handed the boy over to his father, who then took him back to Cuba.

Political influence

In 2008 there were a total of four Cuban American members in the US House of Representatives and two senators, Mel Martínez from Florida and Bob Menendez from New Jersey . The Cuban American Carlos M. Gutierrez was Minister of Commerce at the time.

Marco Rubio became Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in 2006 and Martínez's successor in the Senate in 2010. Eduardo Aguirre served as vice chairman of the Export-Import Bank during the administration of George W. Bush and was later appointed director of immigration and naturalization services for the United States Department of Homeland Security . In 2006 he became ambassador to Spain . John H. Sununu served as Chief of Staff of the White House from 1989-1991 .

Cuban Americans also served at higher levels of justice . Danny Boggs is the current U.S. Federal Court Justice in Kentucky. Raoul G. Cantero, grandson of former Cuban President Fulgencio Batista , served in the Florida Supreme Court until his resignation in 2008.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Sonya Tafoya: Shades of Belonging ( PDF ; 372 kB) Pew Hispanic Center . December 6, 2004. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 7, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / pewhispanic.org
  2. ^ A b Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities . Epodunk.com. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
  3. ↑ Top 101 cities with the most residents born in Cuba (population 500+) . city-data.com. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  4. ^ North Westside, Florida . city-data.com.
  5. ↑ Kendale Lakes-Lindgren Acres, Florida . city-data.com.
  6. ^ Historyofcuba.com: Operation Pedro Pan , accessed November 25, 2012
  7. ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter US at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press . 1 .
  8. ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter US at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press . 2 .
  9. ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter US at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press . 5 .
  10. ^ "Immigration: Cubans Enter US at Texas-Mexico Border." Houston Press . 3 .
  11. ^ " Cuba, Mexico Look To Block The Texas Entrance To The US ." "Hair Balls." Houston Press . October 20, 2008.
  12. ↑ Olsen, Alexandra. “ Cuba: Mexico to fight illegal migration to US .” Associated Press via The Monitor . October 20, 2008.
  13. ↑ Spiegel-Online: Little Havana's hardliners lay down their arms from May 19, 2009
  14. ↑ Obama won record Cuban American vote , Christian Science Monitor, November 8, 2012
  15. ^ UN Demographic Yearbook 1956; Ethnic composition; P. 260. (English; PDF; 45.6 MB) Accessed March 7, 2009 - Warning! Relatively long loading time!
  16. ^ Cuba Statistics Demographic and Immigrants to the USA. Page 156.
  17. ↑ Etat des propriétés rurales appartenant à des Français dans l'île de Cuba from http://www.cubagenweb.org/
  18. ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Cuba
  19. ↑ a b c Archived copy ( memento of the original dated May 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / pewhispanic.org @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / pewhispanic.org

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