U.S. Immigration: Latin Americans


Figure 1.--Latin Americans are the first immigrant group arriving at the United states border, waving their natiuonsal flag and demading to be be let into the country regardlsss of Americsnm law. Here Hondurans from a caravan gthrough Mexico sit on the border wall and wave their flag. American laws give priority to refugees claiming abusive treatment and repression in their home countries. While not political refugees, hey are economic refugees from tthe socialist ideology that dominsates Latin America. Irionically they are welcomed by the supporters of the same Socislist ideas that created economic disaster throughout Latin America. The Docialidst mindset is so string thsat the principal opposition parties in Venezuela of all are soicialist parties despite the damage socialism has done in the country.

Latin Americans are a cultural construct. The largest Latin American immigrant group in America as a result of geography are Mexican. Mexico is geographically/geologicslly in North America as is the case for Central America. For our purposes, however, it makes more sense to consider Hispanics as a cultural group rather than on a purely geographic basis. Most Hispanics are immigrants, although the small number of Mexicans living in the Southwest were allowed to remain and become full American ctizens as a result of the Mexcan-American War. Most remained, but the Mexican population at the time was very small. Few Mexicans wanted to live in at the gtime was El NJorte. The limnited agriculturl potentil and hidstilr Ntive mericans (psvche snd Comnches) were importnt fsctor limiting Mexican populstion of the srea. Hispanic is often seen as a racial group, but this is not the case. It is a highly varied cultural group. Latin Anericans from the Southern Cone (Argentin, Chile, and Uruguay) have largely European origins. From Brazil and th Caribben there are strong African components. From Mexico, some of Central America, and the Andes there are important Native Ameican components. This is hardly a coherent racial group. The cultural including language (Primaroily Portuhgues and Spsnush) are much more powerful. Until the American immigration reforms (1965), nost Hispsanics in the United Stsates were Mexica. Toiday Hispanics sare a much more diverse groups with varied national origins. Miodsyt Hispsnics have come to America seeking economic opportunity. They are the first groupo in which many come with the idea that America offers opportunities and decent paying jobs in opart vbecause the country is exploiting other countries.

Central America


Honduras


Mexico

Spain's colonial regime discouraged the growth of commerce and industry. Spanish colonies were to ship raw materials to the mother country and not develop industries thast might compete with the mother country. The Inquisition also stifeled not only divergent religious ideas, but also freethinking in general, including political, scientific, and social ideas as well. As a result, the Spoanish colonies languashed behind the English colonies to the north. The Spanish Government restricted political power to native-born Spainards. As Criollos grew in numbers, they resented exclusion from political power. Unlike the English colonies, there were no colonial legislsatures. The great bulk of the population, the Mexicans of Native American or Mestizo origins were denined not onlt political power, but who suffered from san uneven distribution of land and wealth. As in the rest of the Spanish Empire, the criollos revolted against Spain. Mexico achieced its independence (1821). This put the criolls in power, but did little to provide economic opportunity to Native Americans and the increasinly large mestizo poplation. Regional differences resulted in the loss of Texas (1836). Mexico fell increasingly behind its northern neigbor which at the time of the Mexican American War (1846-48) had begun to industrialize. The better armed and led forces, defeated the Mexican forces and Mexico was forced to cede the northern part of the country. Mexicans living in the area became American citizens unless they moved south. The Mexican population in what became the American Southwest was relatively small and the Mexican-American population was highly regional and relatively small. Wealthy Mexicans lost their land when American courts refused to recognize Spanish land grants. Porfirio Diaz and the Cientificos msade some progress in modernizing Mexico's infrastructure, but did not address to growing inequities in Nexican life. This led to the Mexican Revolution (1910-20). The turmoil in Mexico led som Mexicans to flee across the border. The Partidio Revolucionsarion Institutional (PRI) established an authoritarian regime with rigged elections. PRI leaders attempted to both moderize Mexico and address the social inequities. The PRI mixture of crony capitalism, socialism, naionalism, and popularism proved to be a poor substitute free market capitalism. And Mexico fell increasingly behinf the United States and Canasa. After World War II, the growing wage disparities between Mexico and America resulted in a steady flow of largely illegal imigration north across the virtually wide open border.

Caribbean


Cuba

Cuba was a Spanish colony for over 4 ceturies, the scond place Columbus landed after landing in the Bahamas (1492). This was more than a century before English settlement of North America began (1600s) and nearly 3 centuries beore the United States was founded (1780s). As a Spanish colony, relations with the United States was limited and immigration was virtually nill. Cuba and Puerto Rico were the last vestages of the Spanish Empire in the new world. And slavery continued there and in Brazil. The Amistad Affair highlighted this trade. Until the Civil War there was some illegal smuggling of slaves into the Southern states. There is no available data on the extent of this trade. Cubaan relations were not of any significance until the Spamish American War (1898-99) the Spanish were forced out of Cuba. Cuba gained full independence (1903). Immigration to the United States was very limited. Substantial Cuban immigration only began after the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro's seizure of power (1959). And this only increased as Castro began implementing Communist policies in Cubam, destroying the prosperous Cuban economy. The result was that the Cuban population in the United States grew almost six-fold in only a decade, from a mere 79,000 people (1960) to 439,000 (1970). The Cubans became Cold War refugees. As refugess from a brutal repressive Communist dictatorship, Cubans reaching the United States were technically admitted or paroled. This was based on a special humanitarian provisions based on communist oppression on the island, a pathway different than the traditional immigration procedure required for most immigrant groups for which there were natiinal origin quotas. Congress overhauled the immigratin system, radically changing the national origin quotas (1965). Congress addressed Cuban immigration spraely. It passed the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) (1966). This allowed Cubans to become lawful permanent residents (LPRs better known as green-card holders) after being physically present in the United States for only 1 year. Castro's Communist government limited emigration, as in other Communist countries it was an embarassment. Anyone applying for an emigration permit was targeted by the gioverment including being fired. There was also extra-judicial actins. Castro referred to them as 'gusanos' (worms). Occassionally, Castro allowed people to leave without authorization, in part part to create a safety valve for the failure of his Coimmunist regime. The largest such event was the Mariel Boatlift (1980). The Mariel exodous brought some 125,000 Cubans to Florida by boat. Castro to punish the United tates emptied out his prisons to mix fellons into the Marielitio refugees.

South America










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Created: 2:06 AM 5/5/2018
Last updated: 2:06 AM 5/5/2018