Figure 1.--Latin Americans are the first immigrant group arriving at the United states border, waving their national flag and demanding to be be let into the country regardless of American law. Here Hondurans from a caravan through Mexico sit on the border wall and wave their flag. American laws give priority to refugees political repression and abusive repression in their home countries. While not political refugees, they are economic refugees from the socialist ideologies that dominates Latin America. American law, however, does not offer asylum for economic refugees. They are welcomed by the supporters of the same Socialist ideas that created economic disaster throughout Latin America. The Socialist mindset is so strong that the principal opposition parties in Venezuela of all countries are socialist. And this despite Venezuela being an oil rich country reduced to abject poverty by socialism.

Latin Americans are a cultural construct. The largest Latin American immigrant group in America as a result of geography are Mexican. Mexico is geographically/geologically 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 citizens as a result of the Mexican-American War. Most remained, but the Mexican population at the time was very small. Few Mexicans wanted to live in El Norte at the time. The limited agricultural potential and hostile Native American tribes (such as the Apaches and Comanches) were important factor limiting Mexican population of the area. Hispanic is often seen as a racial group, but this is not the case. It is a highly varied cultural group. Latin Americans from the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay) have largely European origins. From Brazil and th Caribbean there are strong African components. From Mexico, some of Central America, and the Andes there are important Native American components. This is hardly a coherent racial group. The cultural including language (Primarily Portuguese and Spanish) are much more powerful. Until the American immigration reforms (1965), most Hispanics in the United States were Mexican. Today Hispanics are a much more diverse groups with varied national origins. Hispanics have mostly come to America seeking economic opportunity. They are the first group in which many come with the idea that America offers opportunities and decent paying jobs in part because the country is exploiting other countries. Democratic Party politicians would like to confuse the issue because they advocate many of the economic policies that have failed in Latin America and other regions. The driving force behind Latin American immigration is economics. The Latin American economies are not as dynamic as the United States economy. This relates to the Socialist and statist mentality prevalent through out he region. Unlike Asia, among the developing economies of the region, there are no Tiger economies. As a result, wages throughout the region are a fraction of those in the United States. This creates a powerful draw attracting Latin Americans to the United States. Interesting one Latin American leader has become a apostle for free market capitalism Javier Milei in Argentina (2023)

Central America and Mexico

The early United States was largely populated by Protestants from Britain along with a relatively small number of other Europeans. Besides the British, the other manor national group were the Germans with numbers increasing after the failed 1848 revolutions. Religion at the time was much more important than it is today, so few Catholics immigrated to the United States. Only one early state had a substantial Catholic population--Maryland. This did no begin to change until desperate and starving Irish peasants began to emigrate to the still largely Protestant United States (1840s). Mexico bordered the United States, by few Mexicans . emigrated to the United Sates. In fact few Mexicans moved into their northern territories, in part because the Native Americans were largely hostile and the land was less productive than a band of very productive land crossing over Mexico City and the Central Valley. The United Sates seized what was then Northern Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War (1846-48). The Mexican population in this area s relatively small and they were given the option of remaining and becoming American citizens or going south tho Mexico. Many remained and they were the first Latin Americans to become American citizens in any number. Over time small numbers of Mexicans crossed the border, mostly illegal. Efforts like the Brazero program offered job opportunities in the United States (1942-64). Large scale emigration did not begin until the United sates reformed its immigration policy (1965). As a result, substantial Mexican immigration both legal and illegal began. As a result, when President Biden opened the southern border, previous migration and a strong Mexican economy meant that Mexicans were not the dominant national group. Especially important was the Northern Triangle--three small counties in Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). Millions of people have left the Northern Triangle countries. This began the U.S. 1960s immigration reforms, with many fleeing poverty, violence, and other hardships, but by far the biggest lure is jobs that pay hugely more than what is available in Central America, especially the Northern Triangle. This only escalated when President Biden opened the Southern Border (2021) which President Trump had managed to secure (2017-21). While the Northern Triangle is particularly notable, large numbers of migrants from other Latin American countries have also entered the United States since the 1965 immigration reforms. .

Caribbean

Cuba

Cuba was a Spanish colony for over 4 centuries, the second 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 before the United States was founded (1780s). As a Spanish colony, relations with the United States was limited and immigration was virtually nil. Cuba and Puerto Rico were the last vestiges 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. Cuban relations were not of any significance until the Spanish 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 Cuban, 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 refuges 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 national origin quotas. Congress overhauled the immigration system, radically changing the national origin quotas (1965). Congress addressed Cuban immigration. 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 embarrassment. Anyone applying for an emigration permit was targeted by the government including being fired. There was also extra-judicial actions. Castro referred to them as 'gusanos' (worms). Occasionally, Castro allowed people to leave without authorization, in part part to create a safety valve for the failure of his Communist regime. The largest such event was the Mariel Boatlift (1980). The Mariel exodus brought some 125,000 Cubans to Florida by boat. Castro to punish the United States emptied out his prisons to mix felons into the Marielitio refugees.

South America

Sources

Migration Policy Institute.

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