INTRODUCTION:
Even though Cuba is a little under 100 miles away from the United States, the relationship between the two countries has created an atmosphere full of tension and perpetual mistrust. When Fidel Castro decided to align Cuba with the U.S.S.R. and become a communist country, the United States of America was stunned and highly insulted. Because of their relationship, both countries have played a back and forth game of trying to outdo the other. This game and state of affairs in Cuba has created a large influx of Cuban immigrants looking for better opportunities and trying to escape poverty and persecution. This paper will be focusing on Cuban immigrants and examining different Cuban immigration laws, which allowed them to easily become United States citizens, including; the Cuban Adjustment Act, The Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1976 and the Wet Foot, Dry Foot Policy. It will also discuss whether the Cuban immigration laws are unfair to other foreign immigrants and whether the laws are relevant today. Finally, we will be considering the future and try to predict how the laws will change with the changing diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States and the imminent removal of the Embargo Act.
CUBAN IMMIGRATION LAWS:
The Cuban Adjustment Act was enacted in 1966. The Act allowed illegal Cuban immigrants, who were already living in the United States for two years prior, to easily gain their citizenship. It also fast-tracked Cuban
The article: Treat all migrants like the Cubans: Opposing view by Michelangelo Landgrave is his opinion on the Cuban Adjustment Act. This act makes it easier for Cubans to immigrate to America. Landgrave, however, thinks the United States should open its borders to all immigrants. I underlined Landgrave’s thesis statement which is: “The Cuban Adjustment Act should be expanded to include all nationalities, not ended.” The major points of his argument were the economic effect of immigrants and their contribution to America’s melting pot. He also included support for these major points with reliable sourced facts from the U.S. Census and from professional studies. Landgrave concludes his article by recognizing the success of these immigrants are
Thirty-seven years to the date April 20th, 2017, Fidel Castro enacted the policy of the Mariel boatlift, in which he’d allow Cubans seeking to emigrate to the United States to do so by departing at Mariel. This number would eventually eclipse 125,000 people seeking asylum and refuge from Cuba, and the regime in which at one point they felt represented or directly opposed their own viewpoints. The first wave of Cuban exiles being the extremely wealthy, in direct opposition to Fidel Castro’s regime for a race-less society, and a single-class economy, government, and social order. The ultimatum being set at you’re with the revolution or you’re not, this encouraged former supporters of the now ousted Batista, to seek refuge in the United States.
Disparate levels of income and housing expose the racism that Blacks in Miami live in, further shows the racist actions of the white Cuban-American leadership creates, in line with right-wing ideology and implementation (163). Cuban-Americans who are white, deny and neglect the discrimination that confronts Afro-Cuban emigrants and highlight the success stories of White emigrants and take a harsh stand against any Blacks especially leaders who support Fidel Castro, and the Cuban Revolution
People began migrating from Cuba after a man named Fidel Castro overthrew the previous dictator of Cuba in 1959. Fidel Castro promised democratic policies but soon after taking control he began making the government totalitarian and everyone who opposed him was imprisoned. Castro became even more totalitarian and communist because he wanted complete control of Cuba. Because of this relations between Cuba and the United States worsened. At one point Castro nationalized American businesses without compensation. After this a complete embargo was put into effect. The embargo caused there to be more poverty in Cuba. Cuba became more allied with the soviets. The embargo caused many Cuban citizens to flee Cuba
Central Americans are becoming more aware of their situation when immigrating to a new country. The problem isn’t Cubans but the immigration system itself is flawed. Allowing Cubans, a free
On January 8th, 1959, Fidel Castro and his rebel army marched triumphantly into Havana, Cuba, having overthrown corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista the week earlier. It was the fruition of the Cuban Revolution, and the dramatic shift in power was about to radically alter the country’s political, social and economic course forever. The positive and negative effects of the revolution on the Cuban people, however, as well as the condition of Cuba’s economy pre and post-revolution, is subject to heated debate. Castro’s iron-fisted regime was the introduction of communism into the western hemisphere, and now, over fifty years later, the Cuban Revolution continues to be one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century. Despite the criticism levelled at Fidel Castro and his communist regime, however, the Cuban Revolution was necessary in improving the quality of life for the majority of Cuban citizens. The four fundamental categories on which to assess this are healthcare, education, economy and governance. By comparing the country’s overall performance under Fulgencio Batista versus under Fidel Castro in these areas crucial to a fully-functioning nation, it can be shown that the Cuban Revolution was a necessary and positive change in Cuban society which benefitted the majority of citizens.
There have been some great strides made in regards to US and Cuban relations in recent years to include the restriction of US citizens being allowed to travel to Cuba being lifted. This restriction being lifted was part of a larger US strategy to help the country completely defeat socialism. Specifically, the US government presented the Obama administration with three economic reforms that would aid the country in achieving freedom for it’s citizens; “fostering the small-enterprise sector in Cuba, encouraging US investments, and boosting US tourism to the island” (Aze., 2015, p 19). Those who were responsible for these reforms believe that by eliminating sanctions the US would be helping to strengthen the Cuba self-employed sector and would
Immigration has always been a contentious issue in the United States. Benjamin Franklin thought that the influx in German immigration would flush out the predominately British culture in America at the time. (5) Furthermore, a continual wave of foreign cultures began pouring into the American metropolitan areas at the turn of the 20th century. The migration of Italians, Poles, and Jews across the Atlantic Ocean began a mass assimilation of cultural ideology and customs into the United States, yet many people thought that these migrants could not adapt. Today, the American society has become a melting pot of foreign influence; however, many cynics remain skeptical about the incorporation of Latin American people and their influences.
Just because Haiti and other nations are nations that may be politically repressive, they are not enemy nations. Therefore the immigrants are assumed not to be political refugees. Cubans on the other hand are assumed to be political refugees, which the United States will accept. Many people will agree that if one ethnicity doesn’t apply to the wet-foot-dry-foot policy then the policy should be eliminated. If the United States didn’t have a wet-foot-dry-foot policy then many Cuban illegal immigrants wouldn’t be motivated to leave their country and risk their lives on the harrowing trip across the Florida straits, especially if they knew they would just get sent back to Cuba.
I think that the Embargo act of Cuba should not be uplifted simply because they do not meet the requirements of business in the trade industry. The embargo also known as the blockade signed by President Kennedy Feb. 3, 1962, consist of economic sanctions against Cuba and restrictions on Cuba travel and commerce for all people and business under the U.S jurisdiction (Cuba-embargo.procon.org) and acts of communist powers. It will only benefit the Government of Cuba and not be beneficial to the citizens within the Island meaning that the money of financial gain only supports the Government and overall not the biggest satisfaction of the society in the Cuban Island. The political viewpoint of the perspective is that the United States having more than 75 countries they do trade with around the world, Cuba that only has done trade with just about 7 countries such as companies of Canada, Europe, and Latin America, those countries have not enjoyed economic relationship. I personally think that their will be no difference if the president was to uplift the act against Cuba they have failed to meet the expectations of deliberately honoring their commitment as a friend or business to relay on. In 2012 Cuba was deeply in debt and owed $13.6 billion although few countries still remain to import and export goods with them. For over 55 years the Unites States has had restrictions hold against Cuba since 1982 the
In order to advance in this development, governmental regulation must be set in place as well as, the political and social system, without intrusion. In a press release, Raul Castro Ruiz stated, “We will never accept the imposition of any condition that is harmful to the sovereignty and the dignity of our Homeland” (Cubaminrex, 2016). The result of these meetings is a “four packages of regulations” announced by the US government to relax some aspects of sanctions against Cuba. These agreements are planned by the economic, commercial and financial blockade unilaterally planned by Washington since 1961 (Cubaminrex, 2016). The island of Cuba accepts the new affiliations with the United States, through the process of negotiations, openness, and patience. The undisputed conflict had ceased, the current embargo lifts shaped a dissimilarity in both Cuba and the United States. The embargo has been in progress even before Fidel came into power. The United States embargo against Cuba has been imposed since the 1960s when president Batista was in
The fall of the Soviet Union ushered in a new era of refugee and immigration policy toward Cubans. The collapse of the Soviet Union also meant the cessation of aid to its satellites. Without Soviet aid, conditions in Cuba steadily deteriorated, and the people of Cuba took to the streets in protest. In 1994, Castro answered the uprising by allowing Cubans to leave the country unmolested, and about thirty thousand obliged by taking boats to the United States. However, prior to the mass exodus, the United States policy towards Cuba was beginning to: "First, with the end of the Cold War, there was less need to embarrass the communist regime in Cuba, although the U.S. maintained its embargo against the island. Second, there was continuing public pressure to limit immigration. Finally, it became apparent to some U.S. officials
Immigration involves the movement of a group of people from one country to another where they do not possess citizenship. There are many reasons in which people may leave their country such as employment, lack of resources, family, fear due to violence, exile, the American dream. In 1965, Congress changed immigration law in ways that allowed much more intake from Asia and Latin America than earlier. Before 1965, the intake was mostly from Europe. Since then, over half has come from Latin America—28 % just from Mexico. The share of population composed of non-Hispanic whites plunged from 84 % in 1965 to only 62 % in 2015 while Hispanics soared from 4 to 18 %. (Mead, L.M., 2016)
A revolution is known as being an activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation. Cuba during the decade of the 1950's experienced this type of rebellion in search for an enhanced and better-developed society, independent of all outside domination. Cuban citizens were at a point where they needed to be free and be able to enforce the constitution established in 1940, which included amendments stating that Cuba should be a "democratic republic shall not conclude or ratify pacts or treaties that in any form limit or menace national sovereignty or the integrity of the territory," and such. I chose this topic because there has been so much controversy
One of the most controversial and widely debatable issues that have been discussed extensively in international legislation for several decades is the Helms-Burton Act. The main controversy surrounding the Helms-Burton Act is the resistance from the Cuban government regarding the features of the legislation. The resistance is a clear demonstration of the legality of property claims despite of the passage of time. Throughout history, rarely has an initiative by the American government to enforce its political opinion on economies of other countries generated much anger like the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity or Helms-Burton Act. Even though President Clinton initially opposed the legislation, it was enacted after the downing of two planes by Cuban Air Force that were flown by members of an anti-Castro organization in America. The enactment of this legislation resulted in the America's Cuban Conundrum whose main issues are addressed in this article.