Immigrants can be successful in the United States, when given the opportunity. Cubans are the example.
Although a very large amount of people in the United States continue to believe that Latino immigration represents a thread to their country, Cubans have shown that when given the opportunity immigrants can be as successful as any other American.
After Fidel Castro’s seizure of 1959’s government in Cuba, lots of Cubans decided to migrate to the United States. Prior to 1985, there were no limits on the number of Cubans who could enter the U.S. if they followed normal immigration procedures. Others who were leaving their country for political reasons automatically received refugee status along with other privileges. Privileges that were given to immigrants from Cuba because of Castro’s expropriation of American small businesses and big corporations.
It wasn’t until the summer of 1994 that the U.S. experienced a huge wave of immigrants from Cuba, after the Soviet Union, on which Cuba relied heavily for its trade, dissolved and put Cuba in a very compromising economic situation. In 1995, The U.S. Attorney General announced that Cubans could enter the country if they had no criminal history and contrary to popular believe, most Cubans that entered the U.S. back in the 90’s, were very polite, professional, highly motivated and they seemed able to integrate well into communities with mild problems like Miami. As years have progressed, Cubans have represented one the largest Hispanic communities in South Florida along with Mexicans and Puerto Ricans.
With all the opportunities given to the exile Cuban Community and the thriving attitude developed after many years of suffering, Cubans have been able to be at the top of naturalized Hispanic in the United States followed by South Americans among which are Hondurans, Salvadorians, Nicaraguans and others. The Cuban community also has one of the most educated people among Latin-American communities after the South American community that is the beats the highest score in the list.
All Hispanics in the U.S. should be proud of the many accomplishments our community has been able to have, Cubans as part of the group have many people that represent them to thank. Among those are Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented Florida’s 27th congressional district from 1989 to 2019, and Congressman Albio Sires, who was also born in Cuba, came to the U.S. as children when their families escaped Fidel Castro’s government.
Also, if the Cuban migrant crisis should not have happened parents of many of our current congresswoman and congressman would have never migrated to the United States. As it is the case of Maria Elvira Salazar, current representative of Florida’s 27th district, or Texas Senator Ted Cruz or Florida Congressman Marco Rubio and Mario Diaz-Balart. However, men and woman in politics are not the only successful people that have a Cuban history. The list goes from famous actress Ana de Armas, Cuban famous musicians “The Stefans”, UFC Champion Yoel Romero, Eddie Cibrian, Celia Cruz, Joey Diaz, William Levy, to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is the son of a Cuban immigrant.
