Honduran Americans

The majority of Honduran Americans live in “mini-Honduran nations” throughout the country, in cities such as New York; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles and Miami; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chicago, Illinois. According to the 2000 U.S. Census data, 218,000 Hondurans made up 0.6 percent of the total Hispanics living in the United States. Whereas the overall Hispanic population of the United States grew 43 percent between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, Honduran American population grew 191 percent to a total of 633,401 in 2010.

During World War II, Hondurans began coming to the United States as employees of the United Fruit Company, following the merchant marine trade routes and remaining in port cities such as New York, New Orleans, Boston, and Miami, and cities in New Jersey. They arrived as housemaids, gardeners, and the children of Honduran managers. They learned English, married U.S. citizens, remained in America, and became part of the nation's growing middle class in the [Page 1111]1950s. Many were not integrated into Latino or Honduran communities, and therefore they assimilated into the “mainstream” U.S. culture, received a college education, and began working as professionals—teachers, nurses, lawyers, and engineers.

In the 1960s and 1970s many Hondurans entered the United States as students, tourists, or participants of family reunification programs. During this time frame, no strong Honduran communities existed; therefore, more resources were necessary to survive in the United States as members of the middle class. The most common immigrants from Honduras were single men between the ages of 20 and 34, considered by many to be the prime working age. Many left children and spouses behind with family members in Honduras to come to the United States to work. After establishing themselves here, some married U.S. citizens and formed families, while others brought their Honduran families to live with them.

In the 1980s, in the shadow of broader global economic restructuring, the Honduran economic market changed drastically. Moreover, civil wars in two bordering countries, El Salvador and Nicaragua, spread into the Honduran countryside. Campesinos (rural farmers) moved into the capital city of Tegucigalpa looking for work. When work became scarce across the entire country, many made the journey to the United States (including many who were undocumented, or mojado), looking for work to support family members left behind in Honduras.

Hondurans entering the United States during this period depended on family networks and compatriots for work and housing. This was the beginning of the trend of undocumented Hondurans entering the United States for economic reasons that still existed in the early 21st century. In 2012, there were 11 Honduran consulates in the United States serving compatriots. They were located in Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Belmont, Massachusetts; Chicago; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; New Orleans; New York City; Phoenix; and San Francisco.