Editing Cuban Americans (section)

==Immigration==
{{Main|Cuban immigration to the United States|Cuban migration to Miami}}

===Early migrations===
Before the [[Louisiana Purchase]] and the [[Adams–Onís Treaty]] of 1819, [[Spanish Florida]] and other [[Spanish Empire|possessions of Spain]] on the [[Gulf Coast]] west of the [[Mississippi River]] were provinces of the [[Captaincy General of Cuba]]. Consequently, Cuban immigration to regions that would eventually form the United States have a long history, beginning in the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonial period]] in 1565 when the settlement of [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] was established by [[Pedro Menéndez de Avilés]] and hundreds of Spanish soldiers and their families moved from Cuba to St. Augustine to establish new lives.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwXJEAAAQBAJ&dq=Music+of+cuba+salsa+mambo+language&pg=PT238|title=Ethnic Groups of the Americas: An Encyclopedia|first=James B.|last=Minahan|date=March 14, 2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|isbn=9798216081357 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Thousands of Cuban settlers also immigrated to [[Louisiana]] between 1778 and 1802 and [[Texas]] during the period of [[Spanish Texas|Spanish rule]].{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} Since 1820, the Cuban presence was more than 1,000 people. In 1870 the number of Cuban immigrants increased to almost 12,000, of which about 4,500 resided in [[New York City]], about 3,000 in [[New Orleans]] and 2,000 in [[Key West, Florida|Key West]]. The causes of these movements were both economic and political, which intensified after 1860, when political factors played the predominant role in emigration, as a result of deteriorating relations with the Spanish metropolis.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2uPNEAAAQBAJ&dq=cuban+immigration+to+the+united+staTes+history+louisiana&pg=PA849|title=Immigrants in American History [4 volumes]: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration [4 volumes]|first=Elliott Robert|last=Barkan|date=January 17, 2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|isbn=9781598842203 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

1869 marked the beginning of one of the most significant periods of emigration from Cuba to the United States, again centered on Key West. The exodus of hundreds of workers and businessmen was linked to the manufacture of tobacco. The reasons are many: the introduction of more modern techniques of elaboration of snuff, the most direct access to its main market, the United States, the uncertainty about the future of the island, which had suffered years of economic, political and social unrest during the beginning of the Ten Years' War against Spanish rule. It was an exodus of skilled workers, precisely the class in the island that had succeeded in establishing a free labor sector amid a slave economy.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQ1zAwAAQBAJ&dq=Multicultural+America%3A+A+Multimedia+Encyclopedia+%22cuban+americans%22&pg=PA630|title=Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia|first=Carlos E.|last=Cortés|date=August 15, 2013|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=9781452276267 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Tampa was added to such efforts, with a strong migration of Cubans, which went from 720 inhabitants in 1880 to 5,532 in 1890. However, the second half of the 1890s marked the decline of the Cuban immigrant population, as an important part of it returned to the island to fight for independence. The War accentuated Cuban immigrant integration into American society, whose numbers were significant: more than 12,000 people.<ref name="Cubabloqueo">{{cite web |url=http://www.cubavsbloqueo.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=2204 |title=LA EMIGRACION CUBANA HACIA ESTADOS UNIDOS a LA LUZ DE SU POLITICA INMIGRATORIA. (Fragmento) |access-date=September 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130210003916/http://www.cubavsbloqueo.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=2204 |archive-date=February 10, 2013  }} Cuba vs Bloqueo (In Spanish). Posted by Dr. Antonio Aja Díaz – CEMI (Centro de Estudios de la Migración Internacional- Center for the Study of International Migration), July 2000.</ref>

[[File:Jose marti in ybor.JPG|right|175px|thumb|Statue of Jose Martí at the [[Circulo Cubano de Tampa|Circulo Cubano (Cuban Club)]], Ybor City]]

The population of Cuban Americans has experienced a surge in growth once again with the arrival of the 2021–23 Cuban migration wave to the United States, where Cubans were intercepted at the Southern border over 300,000 times.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/cuban-immigrants-united-states|title=Article: Cuban Immigrants in the United States &#124; migrationpolicy.org|date=September 6, 2023 }}</ref>

=== Key West and Tampa, Florida ===
In the mid- to late 19th century, several cigar manufacturers moved their operations to [[Key West]] to get away from growing laboral and political problems.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20020822/news/605235940|title=Shifting from Cuba, cigar industry reached from Key West to Tampa|website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Many Cuban cigar workers followed. The Cuban government had even established a grammar school in Key West to help preserve Cuban culture. There, children learned folk songs and patriotic hymns such as "[[La Bayamesa]]", the Cuban national anthem.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2uPNEAAAQBAJ&dq=cuban+cigar+workers+key+west+19th+century+immigration&pg=PA306|title=Immigrants in American History|isbn=978-1-59884-220-3 |last1=Barkan |first1=Elliott Robert |date=January 17, 2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA }}</ref>

In 1885, [[Vicente Martinez Ybor]] moved his cigar operations from Key West to the town of [[Tampa, Florida]] to escape labor strife. [[History of Ybor City|Ybor City]] was designed as a modified [[company town]], and it quickly attracted thousands of Cuban workers from Key West and Cuba with Spanish and Italian immigrant workers. [[West Tampa]], another new cigar manufacturing community, was founded nearby in 1892 and also grew quickly. Between these communities, the [[Tampa Bay area]]'s Cuban population grew from almost nothing to the largest in Florida in just over a decade, and the city as a whole grew from a village of approximately 1000 residents in 1885 to over 16,000 by 1900.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=41ViAPbD1qAC&q=cuban+immigration+to+the+united+staTes+history|title=Cubans in America|first=Lee|last=Engfer|date=January 1, 2005|publisher=Lerner Publications|isbn=9780822548706 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Both Ybor City and West Tampa were instrumental in Cuba's eventual independence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Westfall |first=Loy G. |title=Tampa Bay: Cradle of Cuban Liberty |publisher=Key West Cigar City USA |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-9668948-2-0}}</ref> Inspired by revolutionaries such as [[Jose Martí]], who visited Florida several times, Tampa-area Cubans and their sympathetic neighbors donated money, equipment, and sometimes their lives to the cause of ''Cuba Libre''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/51ybor/51facts3.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717095618/http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/51ybor/51facts3.htm|archive-date=July 17, 2007 |title=Ybor City: Cigar Capital of the World-Reading 3 |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=August 8, 2010}}</ref> After the [[Spanish–American War]], some Cubans returned to their native land, but many chose to stay in the U.S. due to the physical and economic devastation caused by years of fighting on the island.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lastra |first=Frank |title=Ybor City: The Making of a Landmark Town |publisher=University of Tampa Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-59732-003-0 }}</ref>

=== Other early waves (1900–1959) ===
Several other small waves of Cuban emigration to the U.S. occurred in the early 20th century (1900–1959). Most settled in Florida and the northeast U.S. The majority of an estimated 100,000 Cubans arriving in that time period usually came for economic reasons (the Great Depression of 1929, volatile sugar prices and migrant farm labor contracts),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hispanic-American/Cubans|title=Hispanic Americans - Cubans &#124; Britannica|website=www.britannica.com}}</ref> but included anti-Batista refugees fleeing the military dictatorship, which had pro-U.S. diplomatic ties. During the '20s and '30s, emigration from Cuba to U.S. territory, basically comprised workers looking for jobs, mainly in New York and New Jersey. They were classified as labor migrants and workers, much like other immigrants in the area at that time. Thus migrated more than 40,149 in the first decade, encouraged by U.S. immigration facilities at the time and more than 43,400 by the end of the 30s.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

The Cuban population officially registered in the United States for 1958 was around 125,000 people including descendants. Of these, more than 50,000 remained in the United States after the revolution of 1959.<ref name="Cubabloqueo"/>

=== Post-1959 revolution (since 1959) ===
{{Main|Cuban exile}}
{{Further|Golden exile|Operation Peter Pan|Freedom Flights}}
After the [[Cuban revolution]] led by [[Fidel Castro]] in 1959, a Cuban exodus began as the new government allied itself with the Soviet Union and began to introduce communism. The first Cubans to come to America after the revolution were those affiliated with former dictator [[Fulgencio Batista]], next were Cuba's professionals. Most Cuban Americans that arrived in the United States initially came from Cuba's educated upper and middle classes centered in Cuba's capital Havana. This middle class arose in the period after the Platt Amendment when Cuba became one of the most successful countries in Latin America. Between December 1960 and October 1962 more than 14,000 Cuban children arrived alone in the U.S. Their parents were afraid that their children were going to be sent to some Soviet bloc countries to be educated {{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} and they decided to send them to the States as soon as possible.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

This program was called Operation Peter Pan ([[Operacion Pedro Pan]]). When the children arrived in Miami they were met by representatives of Catholic Charities and they were sent to live with relatives if they had any or were sent to foster homes, orphanages or boarding schools until their parents could leave Cuba. From 1965 to 1973, there was another wave of immigration known as the Freedom Flights. In order to provide aid to recently arrived Cuban immigrants, the [[United States Congress]] passed the [[Cuban Adjustment Act]] in 1966. The Cuban Refugee Program provided more than $1.3 billion of direct financial assistance. They also were eligible for [[public assistance]], [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]], free English courses, [[scholarship]]s and low-interest college [[loan]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.edu/stories/pedro-pan-childrens-exodus-cuba|title=Pedro Pan: A children's exodus from Cuba}}</ref>

Some banks pioneered loans for exiles who did not have collateral or credit but received help in getting a business loan. These loans enabled many Cuban Americans to secure funds and start up their own businesses. With their Cuban-owned businesses and low cost of living, [[Miami|Miami, Florida]] and [[Union City, New Jersey]] (dubbed ''[[Havana on the Hudson]])''<ref name="NYTimes2.5.06">Gettleman, Jeffrey (February 5, 2006). [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05E2D61F3FF936A35751C0A9609C8B63 "On Politics; A Cuban Revolution, Only It's in New Jersey"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref><ref>Bartlett, Kay. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19770628&id=4kwNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U20DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4464,3136176&hl=en "Little Havana on the Hudson"], ''[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]'', June 28, 1977. Archived at [[Google News]], accessed March 31, 2011.</ref> were the preferred destinations for many immigrants and soon became the main centers for Cuban-American culture. According to author Lisandro Perez, Miami was not particularly attractive to Cubans prior to the 1960s.<ref>Grenier, Guillermo J. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3XBcqhL_pKEC&pg=PA84 ''Miami Now!: Immigration, Ethnicity, and Social Change'']. Archived at [[Google Books]]. Retrieved March 31, 2011.</ref>

It was not until the exodus of the Cuban exiles in 1959 that Miami started to become a preferred destination. [[Westchester, Florida|Westchester]] within [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]], was the area most densely populated by Cubans and Cuban Americans in the United States, followed by [[Hialeah, Florida|Hialeah]] in second.<ref name=MDFLCuba>{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Cuban.html|title=Ancestry Map of Cuban Communities|publisher=Epodunk.com|access-date=December 23, 2007|archive-date=November 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122040230/http://www.epodunk.com/ancestry/Cuban.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Communities like Miami, Tampa and Union City, which Cuban Americans have made their home, have experienced a profound cultural impact as a result, as seen in such aspects of their local culture as cuisine, fashion, music, entertainment and [[cigar]]-making.<ref>Martin, Lydia (August 9, 1995). "Cuban cool" ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', pp. 41 and 54.</ref><ref>Juri, Carmen (August 9, 1995). "Jersey's Cuban flavors" ''The Star-Ledger'', pp. 41 and 54.</ref>

====1980s====
{{Main|Mariel boatlift}}
Another large wave (an estimated 125,000 people) of Cuban immigration occurred in the early 1980s with the [[Mariel boatlift]]s. Most of the "Marielitos" were people wanting to escape from economic stagnation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-announces-mariel-boatlift|title=Fidel Castro announces Mariel Boatlift, allowing Cubans to emigrate to U.S.}}</ref>

Fidel Castro sent some 20,000 criminals directly from Cuban prisons, as well as mentally ill persons from Cuban mental institutions, with the alleged double purpose of cleaning up Cuban society and poisoning the USA. Those people were labeled "inadmissible" by the US government, and with time, through many negotiations, have been returned to Cuba.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

====Mid-1990s to 2000s====
{{Main|Balseros (rafters)}}
Since the mid-1990s, after the implementation of the "Wet feet, dry feet" policy immigration patterns changed. Many Cuban immigrants departed from the southern and western coasts of Cuba and arrived at the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] in [[Mexico]]; many landed on [[Isla Mujeres]]. From there Cuban immigrants traveled to the [[United States-Mexico border|Texas-Mexico border]] and found asylum. Many of the Cubans who did not have family in Miami settled in [[Houston]]; this has caused Houston's Cuban-American community to increase in size. The term "dusty foot" refers to Cubans emigrating to the U.S. through Mexico. In 2005 the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]] had abandoned the approach of detaining every dry foot Cuban who crosses through Texas and began a policy allowing most Cubans to obtain immediate parole.<ref>Russell Cobb and Paul Knight. [http://www.houstonpress.com/news/immigration-cubans-enter-us-at-texas-mexico-border-6575312 "Immigration: Cubans Enter U.S. at Texas-Mexico Border"], ''[[Houston Press]]'', January 9, 2008.</ref>

Jorge Ferragut, a Cuban immigrant who founded Casa Cuba, an agency that assists Cuban immigrants arriving in Texas, said in a 2008 article that many Cuban immigrants of the first decade of the 21st century left due to economic instead of political issues.<ref>[http://www.houstonpress.com/news/immigration-cubans-enter-us-at-texas-mexico-border-6575312 "Immigration: Cubans Enter U.S. at Texas-Mexico Border"]. ''[[Houston Press]]''.</ref> By October 2008 Mexico and Cuba created an agreement to prevent immigration of Cubans through Mexico.<ref>Knight, Paul. [http://www.houstonpress.com/news/cuba-mexico-look-to-block-the-texas-entrance-to-the-us-6741629 "Cuba, Mexico Look To Block The Texas Entrance To The U.S."], ''[[Houston Press]]'', October 20, 2008.</ref><ref>Olsen, Alexandra. [http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/cuba-mexico-to-fight-illegal-migration-to-us/article_d8bd3089-fad9-5d63-b50a-cdfd06df5fef.html "Cuba: Mexico to fight illegal migration to US"], [[Associated Press]] via ''[[The Monitor (Texas)|The Monitor]]'', October 20, 2008.</ref>

In recent years,{{When|date=October 2017}} [[Puerto Rico]] has become a major drop-off point for Cubans trying to reach the United States illegally. As a U.S. [[Commonwealth (U.S. insular area)|Commonwealth]], Puerto Rico is seen as a stepping stone for Cubans trying to get to the continental U.S., though Puerto Rico itself is home to a number of Cubans.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2006/8/8/16234/Cubans-using-Haitian-Dominican-soil-to-reach-Puerto-Rico-concerns-the-US|title=Cubans using Haitian, Dominican soil to reach Puerto Rico concerns the U.S.|publisher=dominicantoday.com|date=August 8, 2006|access-date=April 20, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222163810/http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2006/8/8/16234/Cubans-using-Haitian-Dominican-soil-to-reach-Puerto-Rico-concerns-the-US|archive-date=December 22, 2014}}</ref>