Immigration of Cubans to the United States After Fidel Castro Took Power

Immigration of Cubans to the United States after Fidel Castro Took Power

Excelsior College

Abstract
Fidel Castrol once boasted, “I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating…because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.” It has been this hypocritical search for capitalism that has been one of the major causes for the immigration of so many Cubans to America. On January 1, 1959 the Cuban Revolution had begun as a successful armed revolt led by Fidel Castro’s “26th of July Movement,” which overthrew the U.S.–backed Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista. In order to fully grasp the context and impact of Fidel’s Revolution, we must examine migration of Cubans to United States during post Castro succession, and the different waves of Cubans who emigrated under specific, but differentiating pretenses. By that we must take into consideration the original wave being distinct from the second wave, and second wave being different from the third, etc. As stated, this distinction is important not only because each had a wildly different impact on the United States, but each wave also differed in terms of what was to become of Cubans entering the United States. This break down can be placed into three main categories: historical context of the first migration, implications of this migration on the United States, and how the original migration has affected subsequent Cuban immigrants to date, in terms of policy, assimilation, culture, etc. As for the focus for this analysis, it is important to not only understand how the Cuban Revolution impacted immigration to the United States following Fidel Castro’s succession of Fulgencio Batista, but also how this immigration affected specific aspects of the American population, culture and future influxes in Cuban migration during this era. General Fulgencio Batista was Cuban President, dictator, and military leader closely aligned with and supported by the United States. He served as the leader of Cuba from 1933-1944, and 1952-1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution. Under Batista, Cuba became profitable for American business and organized crime. Havana became the “Latin Las Vegas,” a playground of choice for wealthy gamblers, and very little was said about democracy, or the rights of the average Cuban. Opposition was swiftly and violently crushed, and many began to fear the new government. Seeing that there was no voice for the people a young Fidel Castro began as a Democratic leader, who fought Batista’s government for injustice, and abuse. Wanting to end the abuse, he became a guerrilla rebel leader, organizing different attacks against Batista’s government. Until finally he organized the final attack with other government leaders, the guerrilla supporters, and Raul Castro, his brother. Unfortunately Fidel Castro made empty promises to Cuba’s population, and they supported him. Cuba was filled with ignorance as Castro planned behind their backs. He became Cuba’s leader, becoming worse than Batista, as he turned the government one hundred percent communist. He executed every Batista underdog and divided lands, food, businesses into equal parts with everyone there. Also the first property he cut into pieces was one belonging to his parents. This was not a people revolt; Fidel Castro was after the power for himself and not the people. Fidel Castro considered that alcohol, drugs, gambling, homosexuality and prostitution were major evils. He saw casinos and night clubs as sources of temptation and corruption and he passed laws closing them down. The Cuban wealthy saw this as threat against their wealth and made the decision to leave Cuba making them the first wave of exile. The first wave, which occurred in two parts are divided into ‘those who wait,” and “those that escape.” “Those who wait,” were the first to leave, it occurred right after the Cuban revolution of 1959, they came with the ideas that the new government would not last long, and their stay in the U.S. was temporary. Homes, cars, and other properties in Cuba were left with family, friends and relatives, who would take care of them until Castro regime would fall. Thirty-six percent of this group was composed of professionals, managers, and even executives, many of who were already familiar with the U.S. economic system. They were white Cubans who feared the worse and began exile out of Cuba towards the closes shores of the United States of America, settling on the shores of Miami. These professionals and elites were forced to abandon their culture, families and political connections with the understanding that their country would soon be in the midst of a political upheaval of which communism would be the end result. These elite Cubans would come to be considered the first of four waves of Cuban immigrants that would contribute greatly to the economy and culture of urban cities of the United States. Their contributions included becoming business owners, most significantly in construction, home repairs and manufacturing. Because the Cubans were considered political refugees, they received help from the American government that other immigrants did not receive, another factor that might help the Cubans start their own businesses. The second part of the first wave known as “those that escape,” left when they started to discover the revolution was not ending anytime soon. This lasted from April 1961 to October 1962 when the Cuban Missile Crisis ceased all flights from Cuba to Miami. They were mostly family members of the economic elite that had earlier departed. Upon arrival to United States they were registered with the Cuban Refugee Emergency Center. Their social class was mostly middle class unlike the first wave who were mostly upper middle class doctors and lawyers. They were middle management, middle merchants, middle landlords, middle level professionals, and a considerable number of skilled unionized workers. Settling in was a lot easier, and since the United States still considered them political refugees, entrance into America was also made easier by relaxing the immigration laws. Visa waivers are granted for them to stay in the U.S. indefinite.
Shortly after the takeover by Castro the United States severance all diplomatic and economic ties with Cuba. All of these entailed personal losses for the refugees and filled them with foreboding. In 1961 Cuban exiles, “freedom fighters,” backed and trained by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched a military counterrevolution against Castro. 1,300 out of the 250,000 first wave exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, this invasion was quickly defeated by the Cuban armed forces, which had been trained and equipped by Eastern Bloc nations. After the failed coup, Castro announced for the first time he was a Marxist-Leninist. The exodus doubled, those who escaped would constitute the second wave of refugees to come to the United States.
In order to understand the impact Cubans have had on America we have to look at the second wave of Cuban which came to America from 1965-1974. They are referred to as “those who search.” These economic immigrants left Cuba as the government began to nationalize small businesses. Fed up with the economic hardship along with the erosion and virtual disappearance of political freedoms this immigrant population included a large number of working class people than the previous wave. Castro opened the port of Camarioca and relatives came from Miami to collect those left behind in Cuba. Small business owners, independent craftsman, and other mid-level employees made use of the agreement between Fidel Castro and President Lyndon Johnson’s “open door” policy as they were welcomed in large numbers into the US, over 300,000 Cubans came during the “freedom flights.” In 1974 the last “freedom flight,” arrived in the United States with the last 1,000 Cubans onboard. The flights were terminated by the Cuban government which gave no reasons for backing down on the US-Cuban agreement. One theory had it that Premier Fidel Castro had got rid of all opponents he wanted to see depart. Another was that the Soviet Union was displeased with the exodus because it gave Communism a black eye. On the U.S. side the airlifts had come under criticism by the Senate Appropriations Committee, noting that the flights had cost the U.S. government $4,000,000.

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