The Mariel Boatlift: Cuban Migration - Research Paper Example

 The Mariel Boatlift: Cuban Migration 1. Introduction Many people across the globe choose to immigrate for several reasons. Today, as a consequence of globalization, migration is almost a natural thing to do because of big prospects and easy access of entrance and exits. Migrants are drawn in because of job opportunities and lifestyles. Migration as defined by National Geographic is “the movement of people from one place in the world to another, for the purpose of taking up a semi-permanent or permanent residence , usually within a political boundary. Cuba is one of the countries in the world that witnessed waves of immigration. Because of the proximity of the U.S. to Cuba, and its welcoming hands, Cubans chose to immigrate to the United States. Cubans , according to history love their country, and has a nationalistic citizenry, so there must be compelling reasons that they left their country. Were they forced or did they volunteer to leave their country? Why were they so desperate in leaving their country? Research findings are expected to answer all these questions. 1.2 Aims of research The aims of this research are to gather an insight of the migration problems of Cubans and its history. It is also expected to be a guide in history for the young Cubans to know the hardships of their ancestors in immigration. 1.3 Limitations of research Although there are many years of Cuban migrations before 1980s, my research is confounded only to Mariel boatlift and its surrounding circumstances. 1.4 Migration profile of Cuba Cuba as of 2013, has a population of 11.3 million. It has an HDI rank of 44 out of 187. Its new immigration rate of 2013 is -2.5/1000 immigrants. Immigrants as of 2013 is 0.1%. Women as percentage of immigrants in 2013 is 55.1%. HDK stands for Human Development Index (HDI).  “It is a composite indicator that measures development and human progress based on health, education, and purchasing power. The higher the HDI rank, the higher a country's level of development”. HDI Rank, 2013, is based on data from the United Nations Development Programme's  Human Development Report 2014.(International Organization for Migration, 2014) 1.5 Patterns of migration. According to Xpedition of the National Geographic, 2008, there are different patterns of migration. All of these have been experienced by Cuban migrants. First is the external migration wherein people move to a new home in a different state. A transfer of one who lives in Cuba then moves to Florida is an example of external migration. External migration started as early as the 1900s, wherein some Cubans chose to reside in the U.S. The 1910 U.S. census statistics reported there were 15,133 living in the United States while a congress reported a data of 44,211 Cubans. In 1959, the estimated number of Cubans living in the U.S. was 124,000. Next are the confusing migration types: the emigrants and immigrants. Accordingly, emigrate is to leave one country to another to settle, while immigrate is to come to a country, in which one is not a native, for purpose of establishing a permanent residence. (Xpeditions. National Geographic, 2005). For example, Chinese are immigrants to U.S Another type of migration is the population transfer. This means a large group of people are forced out of the region because of religion, ethnicity, or discrimination. Expulsions of people are resorted to by governments in order to avoid further conflicts that might resort to war. Population transfer is said to be an effective technique to resolve tensions. Recent example is the expulsion of Palestinian Arabs by Israel (Middleeast Piece n.d.), http://www.middleeastpiece.com/expulsion_tool.htm) Impelled migration. This type of migration is a situation where one is forced to leave. Because of the revolution in Cuba, more Cubans were forced to leave their country after their properties were expropriated by the government. Step migration. This is a short term migration that begins with transfer from a farm, village or province to the city in search for better opportunities. As of 2011, CIA World Fact shows, that a result of step migration, the urban population is now 70% of the entire population. Total population as of 2014 is 11, 047,211. Chain migration. This sort of migration is a defined as a series of migration within the family. A chain migration starts when one member of the family sends money to another member of the family and brings him /her to a new location. Chain migration results to a cluster migration wherein people come together to a specific region to settle .A sign of chain migration was shown in 1959, when Cuban residents in the United States convinced their relatives in Cuba to go with them. 1.6 Push and Pull reasons People leave their homeland for several reasons. They were either pushed or pulled. Push factors that compelled Cubans to leave the country were due to difficulties of poor economy and the thorny issues of revolution. Pull factors that excited the Cubans in going to the United States are its better economy and the Noo visa policy of the U.S. that existed until 1985. According to historians, Pres. Bill Clinton agreed to accept 20,000 refugees from Cuba annually in exchange to the promise of Fidel Castro of preventing mass migration to the United States.(Robson, Barbara, 1966) 1.7 The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. The CAA Act read as follows: [T]he status of any alien who is a native or citizen of Cuba and who has been inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States subsequent to January 1, 1959, and has been physically present in the United States for at least one year, may be adjusted by the Attorney General, in his discretion and under such regulations as he may prescribe, to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien makes an application for such adjustment, and the alien is eligible to receive an immigrant visa and is admissible to the United States for permanent residence . . . . The provisions of this Act . . .shall be applicable to the spouse and child of any alien described in this subsection, regardless of their citizenship and place of birth, who are residing with such alien in the United States . . . . This Act which went into law on November 2, 1966 granted special immigration privileges to Cubans. Some criticized this Act as playing favorites that even up to this date, it is still being doubted. Turck, Mary, 2014 says “U.S. embrace of Cuban immigration underscores hypocrisy in immigration” She noted that there is a marked difference given to Cuban immigrants than to those refugees coming from Central America. On a separate note, Javier Arteaga, 2008, referring to the CAA, said: Since the establishment of the CAA over forty years ago, Cubans have been granted unparalleled access to the U.S.15 Known as America’s “special favorites,” “self-imposed political exiles,” and “consumer refugees,” Cubans are the only group granted such “special privileges” and “favorable immigration laws.” Arteago went on to quote an anecdote portraying favoritism: Five miles off the coast of Miami, Florida, a vessel carrying 131 Haitian nationals who had fled Haiti stopped and picked up two Cubans at sea. They were near death because their boat had capsized. When the vessel arrived in Miami, the Haitians were all sent back to Haiti. The two Cubans were granted access to the U.S. and after one year were eligible to receive green card solely based on their nationality. 1.8 The Mariel Boatlift The Cuban exodus to U.S. during the period between April to September 1980, according to Duanney, Jorge, was initially prompted by invitations of their Cuban relatives in the USA. telling them of their good life in America. But the immediate cause, accordingly, was due to tension. Pressure arose on April 1st when five Cubans arriving thru a bus drove thru the fence of the Peruvian embassy and were subsequently granted asylum. Thereupon, Cuban guards on the street opened fire wherein one guard was killed with the crossfire. The refusal of the Peruvian government to return the five escapees led Fidel Castro to withdraw his guards from the embassy on April 4. Two days after, the Peruvian embassy was swamped with 10,000 Cubans seeking asylum. To solve this tension, two weeks later, Fidel Castro announced that Port Mariel would be open to anyone wanting to leave as long as there is someone who would pick them up. Cubans now residing in the United States took the opportunity immediately, hired boats to pick up their relatives , thus resorting to a chain immigration. Immediately after the announcements, 125,000 Cuban refugees arrived at Florida the next day. (Chapman, Linda, 2011) The Mariel Boatlift was one of the ways wherein Cubans used to exit from Cuba. Although it was an illegal way at that time, many Cubans still tried their luck to leave the country. Using improvised boats a great number of Cubans crossed the sea in order to get to the borders of Florida. The Marielitos are the third wave of immigrants who were composed of the working class and the minority group from Cuba. This group of immigrants was snubbed by the U.S. media saying they were undesirables. The Mariel boatlift was not a very easy way of exit because once the Coast Guard caught these people, they are returned to Cuba. This kind of illegal exit from the country ended when an announcement came from Fidel Castro that starting on April 20, 1980 all Cubans wishing to emigrate to the U.S. are free to board boats at the port of Mariel, Havana. Prior to the lifting of this ban, Cuban refugees sailed, docked their boats ashore, then swam to reach the beach. If they were not caught by the U.S. Coast Guards, they were free and were welcomed to the U.S.. The U.S. Coast Guards, on record caught 1,275 Cubans trying to arrive by boat, while there were unaccounted Cuban immigrants who reached the Florida shoreline where they were accepted. 1.5 Process to exit from Cuba On April 1980, Cubans began to be allowed to leave the country without an exit permit because Fidel Castro soon realized the economic potential of allowing the people to travel freely. (Global Post 2012) The only thing needed by the Cubans is a valid passport and a visa to travel abroad. One thing that I find preventive in this Cuban policy is the limitations for exit of professionals under the guise of protecting human capital. Further, the Cubans’ length of stay abroad is extended to two years , but can be renewed for another term. Previously , in order to exit from Cuba, one has to apply for a visa from the country one wishes to visit and must pay for an exit permit from Cuba. There are times however, Faine Greenwood (2012) a columnist from Global Post observed, that the visa from the other country has expired already before the exit permit comes. Nonetheless, the new process of exit brings hope that Cubans will be allowed to come and go as they please, be reunited with their family, and to keep their property on the island. The policy that is left unclear is the government warnings about impositions on bans of exits of professionals. Related to this news, is the current advice of the U.S. State Department that it is lengthening Cuban visitors’ visa from six months to five years allowing them to make multiple visits to relatives within the period, instead of repeatedly applying and paying $160 for the right. (Mark, Frank .2013) The change on both countries’ policies now makes it easier for Cubans to work at the United States and go home when they want. 1.10 Waves of Cuban migration Cuban migrations to United States started as early as 1871. At first, they were only in small numbers (see Table 1). But during 1961 and subsequently thereafter, the number of immigrants has significantly increased. Table 1. Number of Cuban immigrants to U.S. Years Number 1869 -1870 3 090 1871-1880 8 221 1881-1890 21 528 1891-1900 25 553 1901-1910 44 211 1911-1920 25 158 1921-1930 15 901 1931-1940 9 571 1941-1950 26 313 1951-1960 78 948 1961-1970 208 536 1971-1980 264 863 1981-1990 144 578 1991-1996 94 936 Total 971 407 Source:U.S. Department of Justice, 1996, Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; Pérez, « Cuban Catholics in the United States »Cited in Jorge Duanny, 1999 We will see from Tables I and 2 that the large scale exodus of migrants was caused by political upheavals and domestic problems. The years in transition showed the phases of political crises that prompted many to seek asylum elsewhere to escape from domestic problems. Table 1 exhibits the number of Cubans admitted to the U.S. per era. The period from 1971-1980 showed having the highest number of exodus of immigrants. Table 2. Stages in Cuban migration to the united states since the Cuban revolution Phase Dates Landmark events Estimated number of immigrants Golden Exile January 1959- October 1962 From the triumph of the Revolution to the Missile Crisis 250 000 (22,9% of the total) Suspension of regular migration November 1962-November 1965 From the end of the Missile Crisis to the opening of Camarioca port 74 000 (6,8 %) Freedom Flights December 1965- April 1973 From the closing of Camarioca to the end of the airbridge 300 000 (27,6 %) Arrivals through other countries May 1973- March 1980 From the end of the airbridge to the opening of Mariel harbor 38 000 (3,5 %) Mariel exodus April-September 1980 From the opening to the closing of Mariel 125 000 (11,5 %) Renewal of regular migration October 1980- December 1991 From the end of Mariel to the reduction of visas 154 000 (14,2 %) Increase in undocumented migration January 1992- July 1994 From the reduction of visas to the balsero crisis 51 000 (4,7 %) Balsero crisis August- September 1994 From the lifting of Cuban restrictions to migrate to the U.S.-Cuban agreements 36 000 (3,3 %) Renewal of regular migration October 1994- December 1996 From the U.S.-Cuban agreements to the present 60 000 (5,5 %) Source: Jorge Duanny 1999 Arrival of first wave of Cuban migrants to U.S. started in 1959 to 1960 wherein 250,000 Cubans came in. Next was in 1962 to 1973 in which 374,000 Cuban immigrants arrived. The Mariel Exodus came in from April to September 1980 bringing in 125,000 immigrants . Push factors that prompted them to seek for asylum was both for economic and political reasons. Under Castro’s term, which turned the country into a communist rule, economy got worse, and there was high unemployment, so that people sought for asylum elsewhere. People also run away from Cuba because they avoided persecution and imprisonment once they say something against Castro. People were attracted to United States because they are seeking for better life and employment. The presence of a family member in the foreign country is often a pull factor that attracts immigrants to begin a new life there. The freedom of speech and democracy, and the closeness of the Florida coast to Cuba are also pull factors that attract immigrants to United States. Referred to as a cluster migration, refugees settle in a section in this region called Little Havana, named after Cuba’s capital. The Cubans in the United States showed a lower unemployment rate and are much better financially than other Hispanics because they placed higher value in education. Besides, Cuban immigrants are noted for its highest education rates in the country. Evidence of this is the presence of many Cuban doctors. The Cuban migrants in 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were rich migrants who escaped the communists regime, so that they easily got assimilated to the American culture because of their high levels of education. At the height of immigration in 1980s, Fidel Castro figured out a popular transfer of migration. Fidel Castro sent to the United States thru boats, mental patients from institutions and prisoners to get rid of them in the Cuban society. Since this came as a big news, many Cubans felt persecuted as a consequence. Today, 20% of Miami businesses are owned by Cubans. They are considered as one of the most educated ethnic groups in the United States. 1.11 The financial and economic condition of Cuba ( at the time of migration) The facts and figures presented in this report were as gathered from  several sources, the CIA World Factbook and Encyclopedia.com. Cuba is the second largest state in the Carribean Island. In 1961, its population was 6,900,000 reaching 8.400,000 by 1970s. Its population is mixed with 73 percent white, 12 percent black and 15 percent mestizo. Dolgoff, Sam describes that the socio-economic conditions prevailing before the revolution was a place where there was no hunger, neither it could not be called an economically backward country. Dolgoff, Sam cited several economists and theorists who believed Cuba has the highest standard of living prior to revolution. Analysts in Dolgoff’s study said Cubans were born with silverspoon in their mouth, and if its agriculture is properly cultivated, it could be able to feed fifty million people. Until 1959. Cuban government followed a policy of free enterprise. Government ownership was limited to government utilities. All of these changed when Fidel Castro came into power. Fidel Castro , during his term, created a centrally planned economy patterned after the communist system of the Soviet Union, wherein he instituted nationalization and expropriation of properties. All producers of mines, railroad, telecommunications, and export-import went under control of the government. Government planning in 1960s was based on the premise of where Cuba should concentrate, would it be sugar production, or industrialization. In the end, sugar production predominated, but it is noted that the effort to produce the sugar harvest has diverted big amount of resources. At this period, encyclopedia.com says there was a growing low-productivity and absenteeism in the work force due to policy of eliminating incentives. This was also the time when piece work manufacturing was introduced. The Cuban government also instituted a 5-year development plan , the1975-1980, 1981-85, and the 1986-90 plans that sets specific goal of growth. (Encyclpedia.com) However all of the targets were not reached. For instance, the 1975-80 development plan failed to achieve the projected growth of 6 percent annually as it was only able to reach growth of 4 percent. Similarly other attempts of the succeeding development plans failed as to growth proportion. Austerity measures were also imposed while increases in prices of transportation and electricity were simultaneously done. Rationing of some items were done due to scarcity of supply. Meantime, in 1988, as a result of hurricanes, low sugar prices, and the decline of tourism, economic planners predicted the overall growth to be very low, at 1.6% growth rate, far from previous years’ rate. The end result of these disappointments was an increase of government debts and a 12 percent unemployment rate. Finally, financial reforms were resolved by the establishment of its own Central Bank that reflected the increased roles of private sector in financial transactions. In 2000 Cuban economy began to show growth through foreign investments. 1.7 The impact of Cuban immigration to the United States. The U.S. witnessed hordes of refugees coming from Cuba from August to September 1994. Many came through the sea by means of makeshift boats. These refugees chose voluntary immigration because of the collapse of the Cuban economy and the Soviet Union could no longer subsidize Cuba as an aspiring communist state. The influx of immigrants to U.S. was the result of President Bill Clinton’s agreement with Fidel Castro’s demand to open the U. S. gates to Cuban immigrants. Pres. Clinton agreed to accept 20,000 refugees annually in exchange for Fidel Castro’s promise to prevent a future mass migration to the United States. However, the coming of Cuban migrants swelled to 50,000, a number that has exceeded its annual quota.  Accepting this big number of migrants means a drain on the Florida budget as its needs to provide for the basic needs of these refugees who left Cuba. Up until now, Cuban immigration remains to be a political issue , and that subsidizing the Cuban refugees would cost the U.S. $1.3billion over the period of 2009-2012.(Valle, Hans de Salas, 2009) 1.13 The lottery draw. A special Program for Cuban Immigrants The immigration quota for Cuban immigrants stays at of 20,000 annually. There are times that this quota is not filled due to disqualifications. To resolve this issue, the U.S adopted a lottery system in which persons who do not qualify as refugees or immigrants can seek to enter the U.S. This program is applicable to Cuban immigrants only. In this system, those who are interested to immigrate to U.S. have to signify his/her interest thru a letter during a specified period. This period is being scheduled by the U.S., the last of which was from June 15, 1998 to July 15, 1998. All letters during the entry period must be coursed through the Cuban mail system that will then be forwarded to Washington for proper processing. The number of winners is based on the number of slots needed to complete the quota of 20,000. Once selected, the applicant goes through a series of scheduled interview and attestation that they have not been convicted with a serious crime, not a member of a terrorist group, or will not be a liability to the public. Winners of the lottery are still subject to the Attorney General’s authority to parole. Applicant should also have a high school education, three or more years working experience, and has relatives living in the United States. 2. Conclusion. Anent to my research questions, it was found out that the need for Cubans to exit is political stability and domestic pressure. Economic hardships comes only second priority and as a effect of confiscation of properties. Once in the United States, the Cuban immigrants did not find it hard to assimilate in the U.S. society because they are highly qualified seeing that they are educated. Previous to revolution, Cuba was a prosperous country, being a leading sugar manufacturer in the world, and so the citizenry had no further ambition to immigrate. Cubans had to resort to immigration only because they felt a hopeless condition under the communist rule of Fidel Castro. Cubans were forced to leave not by the government, but by circumstances that prevailed at that time. All of the patterns of immigration were tried by Cubans, both legal and illegal. Because of special privileges granted by the U. S. to Cuba, critics think U.S. is playing favorite, further suggesting that it is time to review the US-Cuban AGREEMENT. Today, migration to various places is no longer difficult as long as one is fully qualified due to globalization. The world is like one big village so that patterns of migration are no longer an issue REFERENCES Artega, Javier. 2008. The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966: More than FortyYears Later a Proposal for the Future 3 FIU L. Rev. 509 retrieved 28 January, 2015 from http://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/lawreview/vol3/iss2/12 Chapman, Linda, 2011 On This Day. Castro Allows Cubans to Emigrate in Mariel Boatlift. Dulcinea. Retrieved January 28, 2015 from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/April/On-This-Day--Thousands-Authorized-to-Leave-Cuba-in-Mariel-Boatlift.html Dolgoff, Sam. The Cuban Revolution. A critical perspective. http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bright/dolgoff/cubanrevolution/chapter7.html Duany, Jorge. 1999. Pouvoirs dans la Caribe. Cuban communities in the United States: migration waves, settlement patterns and socioeconomic diversity. lc.revues.org/464#tocto2n4 Greenwood, Faine, 2012. Cubans will be allowed to leave country without permit. Global Post.com. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/cuba/121016/cubans-will-be-allowed-leave-country-without-exit-permit International Organization for Migration (2014). Facts and figures. Cuba. https://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/where-we-work/americas/central-and-north-america-and-th/cuba.html Lottery - A special program for Cuban migration http://havana.usint.gov/media/pdfs/lottery.pdf Middleeast Piece n.d., Expulsion http://www.middleeastpiece.com/expulsion_tool.htm) Mark, Frank. 2013. Cuba Reports Highest Outflow of Citizens since 1994. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/31/us-cuba-migration-idUSBRE96U1F920130731 Salas-del Valle, Hans, 2009. Cuban Migration to Florida, Impact and Migration. An Information Service of the Cuba Transition Project. Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies University of Miami Turck, Mary. 2014. US embrace of Cuban refugees underscores hypocrisy on immigration http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/8/cuban-refugees-centralamericanmigrantsimmigrationdeportation.html Xpeditions. 2005. Human Migration Guide. National Geographic Society. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/g68/migrationguidestudent.pdf Read More