Haitian and Cuban Immigration: A Comparison

A Contrast in Reception

When Cubans first began to flee Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba, the reception in the United States was positive, perhaps related to the fact that helping Cuban refugees could be seen as an anti-communist policy. Later, U.S. administrations set policies that were not always welcoming. However, Cubans arriving in Miami-Dade County have continued to benefit from the perceived cohesive nature of their communities. President George W. Bush, for example, has funded anti-Castro programs such as Radio and [Page 577]TV Marti and has limited travel and remittances to the island.

Haitian immigrants fleeing the dictatorship of “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his successors have been met with detention in federal holding centers and repatriation. Moreover, the U.S. government intervention into Haitian political instability included sending peacekeepers and military civil affairs units to facilitate the democratization of the small nation-state. The military consultants were there for a limited time and left Haiti in what many Haitian social activists charged was an unstable state. The Bush administration failed to prepare the up-and-coming political leaders for the work of democratizing the island. Those who had been in power with one regime simply changed allegiances and took power within the new regime. Haiti was not seen in the same light as Cuba because Haiti was not considered a communist regime; rather, it was considered an authoritarian government that strategically was of no threat to the United States save for the effects of continued migration.

Haitian and Haitian American social activists have charged the Bush administration with racializing immigration reform to keep Blacks out of the United States. The claims, as stated by the Haitian Coalition in Miami-Dade County, assert that Cubans are fleeing Cuba for the same reasons that Haitians are risking their lives to leave Haiti. Political unrest and the hope of pursuing a better life are the motivators.

The Haitian American Experience

The Haitian community of Miami-Dade County has a population of more than 71,054, according to the 2000 census. The majority speaks French Creole and has been absorbed into the formal economy, accepting low wages and poor work conditions. Those who are here illegally are often actively employed in the informal economy. They work to achieve financial success for themselves and their families and look to contribute to the U.S. economy. Most have made the 600-mile journey through treacherous waters to reach the United States and find employment to provide for their families. Leaving Haiti was an act of desperation; the National Coalition of Haitian Rights asserts that so long as assassinations of dissenters continue in Haiti, emigration will continue to be problematic for the United States.

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