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Caribbean Americans

Caribbean Americans constitute a diverse group in terms of their cultural, ethnic, and racial origin. They also have distinct socioeconomic characteristics. Large-scale immigration from the Caribbean is a fairly recent phenomenon; according to the 2010 U.S. census, as many as 75 percent of foreign-born immigrants entered the United States after 1980. However, the first immigrants, especially those from Cuba and the English and French West Indies, arrived before the 20th century.

It should be noted that people born in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are native born to the United States. As U.S. citizens they are, therefore, migrants rather than immigrants. According to the 2010 U.S. census the Puerto Rican–origin population of the United States (4.6 million) was higher than the total population of Puerto Rico (3.7 million).

Origins and Geographic Distribution

In 2010 the biggest Caribbean populations in the United States, with the exception of Puerto Ricans, were of Cuban and Dominican origin. In fact, Cubans and Dominicans were, respectively, the third- and the fifth-largest Hispanic/Latino communities after Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Salvadorans. In general, Hispanics/Latinos form the largest minority in the country, and in 2010 they constituted over 16 percent of the total U.S. population (50.5 million). The almost 1.8 million Cubans comprised 3.5 percent of Hispanics/Latinos, while Dominicans were at 2.8 percent (1.4 million). As for their areas of residence, both groups are highly concentrated: Cubans in the south (mainly in Florida), Dominicans in the northeast (mainly in New York). Most Puerto Ricans live in the northeast (mainly in New York, where the famous Spanish Harlem—also known as El Barrio—is located), and in the south (mainly in Florida).

In 2010 people who reported West Indian ancestry (except Hispanic groups) accounted for around 2.6 million. Jamaicans form the largest non-Hispanic Caribbean population, and their community is growing relatively quickly (965,000 in 2010 as compared to 435,000 in 1990). Trinidadians and Tobagonians are the second-largest group from the English-speaking Caribbean (197,000 in 2010). Generally, most West Indians have migrated to eastern states (mainly New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Florida). Brooklyn, New York, has the largest Afro-West Indian community in the United States, while Richmond Hill (Queens), New York, is the main community of Indo-West Indians.

Although Haitian remains a relatively small ancestry group, it almost doubled in size in 1990–2000. According to the American Community Survey, in 2010 it reached 881,000 people, two-thirds of whom lived in Florida and New York. Other French-speaking islands such as Martinique or Guadeloupe send few immigrants. The Dutch West Indian origin community is also relatively small.

Immigration to the United States

Large-scale immigration from the Caribbean is a recent phenomenon. The primary motivations for migration have been economic opportunity (Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, and West Indians), political reasons (Cubans, Dominicans, and Haitians), and family reunification. The time periods and the intensity of the 20th-century immigration have been influenced by a number of factors.

One of the key factors was U.S. immigration laws and policies. For example, because Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, their migration to the United States mainland has not been restricted, and the first significant wave (600,000) arrived from the mid-1940s until the mid-1960s. However, the 1920s immigration quotas, which applied to the European colonies in the Western Hemisphere, affected immigration from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago (both gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962 but remain members of the commonwealth), and other colonies in the West Indies. Since 1965, when the quota system was abolished, immigration from the Caribbean has increased significantly; it also been aided by the preference system for relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The 1920s’ quotas did not apply to independent nations in the Western Hemisphere. As a matter of fact, because of geographical proximity and economic links, in 1921–1930 at least 16,000 Cubans immigrated to the United States for either economic or political reasons, while in the 1940s and 1950s the total number climbed to over 100,000.

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