Jordanian Americans

History

The state of Jordan was created when it became independent from Britain in 1946, having previously been part of the British mandate of Palestine (and briefly, the British-controlled Emirate of Transjordan). Jordan was one of the last Middle Eastern nations to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the political and diplomatic representative of the Palestinians.

It is possible that some residents of the lands that now constitute Jordan immigrated to the United States in the 19th century, when they would have been noted only as Arabs or Syrians. Arab immigration at the time was fairly low, however, and most Arabs immigrating in that era were part of specific groups (largely settling in Chicago or Detroit), especially Christian Arabs. Sustained Jordanian immigration does not seem to have begun until the late 1940s, shortly after the creation of the modern state. There are today about 67,622 Jordanian Americans, according to the most recent figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The first Jordanian American communities were established in the Near West and Southwest Sides neighborhoods of Chicago. Some immigrants returned home to Jordan after working for a few years, but others opened stores and other establishments and put down roots. New York City, with its ample opportunities and general embrace of immigrants, attracted a community as well. There were about 1,000 Jordanian Americans in 1950, split more or less between the cities of Chicago and New York and the Southwest (mainly Phoenix and California). Immigration categorized these immigrants as “Palestinian/Jordanian,” as both Jordanians and West Bank Palestinians were allowed to use Jordanian passports.

In the 1950s, 5,762 Jordanians immigrated to the United States; nearly twice that many immigrated the following decade; and 27,535 immigrated in the 1970s. Some sought economic and educational opportunities, and some wanted to join relatives who had already settled in America. Others fled the chaos of the Arab-Israeli War. The relaxing of many immigration restrictions in 1964 played a role in accelerating Jordanian immigration and Arab immigration as a whole.

Though many of the early immigrants returned to their homeland after they had earned enough to help out their families, or earned a college degree, as they immigrated in greater numbers, more and more Jordanians remained in the United States, becoming permanent residents or citizens. The Jordanian American population grew quickly.

A definite class divide was present with respect to where these immigrants settled. Wealthy Jordanians, who were more likely to have traveled abroad and were accustomed to urban life, settled in large metropolitan areas or the suburbs thereof, such as in the New York, New Jersey, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., areas. The rest were more likely to settle in the southwest and California.

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