The Impact of Economic Dominance on Immigration

The Impact of Economic Dominance on Immigration

By: Karlos Lugo

             The United States (U.S.) war on communism has been a long on going issue since the beginning in the mid-1900. The U.S. government were doing whatever it took possible to stop communism from spreading in the Americas (North and South America). What the U.S. government wanted was to a build a capitalist economic structure that would allow them to have a free trade market internationally. It was fundamentally important for them to keep South American countries from becoming communist influenced so that big businesses could stretch they’re power in those countries. After having war in South Asia and South America, the U.S. government brought it thousands of refugees from these war zones; Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War and Cuban refugees from the Cold War. I will compare and contrast the migration of both ethnic refugees to see how the war on communism had an influence in their arrival to the U.S.

             The Vietnam War all started when the French forces were defeated by North Vietnamese nationalist (Communist-led) army to gain control of the French Indochina colony, including Laos and Cambodia. With North Vietnam being a communist government, the U.S. wanted to do whatever it took to stop communism from spreading to southern non-communist entities, therefor the U.S. intervened and began afighting against the Vietminh Army. Similarly in Cuba after Fidel Castro ceased independence from the U.S, Castro’s dictatorship was becoming communist influenced. The U.S became concern that communist would then spread to other southern American countries.

In 1975, former president Nixon signed a ceasefire to withdraw U.S forces from Vietnam. Along that withdraw brought thousands of Vietnamese refugees to the U.S. There was three waves of migration that took place after the war. The first in 1975, where U.S evacuated about 125,000 and that included military personnel and urban professionals who were involved with U.S military or South Vietnamese government. Very similarly after Castro took power in Cuba, the first wave of migration were compose of Batista’s political administration and wealthy professionals and businessmen.

The second wave also known as the “boat people” refugee crisis, and that included people from rural areas, most of which were less educated. Many who were also Chinese immigrants fleeing persecution in Vietnam. In Cuba, there was continuing pattern of middle-class Cuban immigrating to the U.S. “By the mid to late 1960s, a swell of discontent rose in Cuba, fed by economic hardship along with the erosion and virtual disappearance of political freedoms. In particular, when Castro closed down some 55,000 small businesses in 1968, virtually eliminating all private property, more Cubans turned against the revolution. It was now the turn of the middle- and lower-middle classes, and skilled laborers.” (PBS, 2004)

The third wave took place through the 1980’s and the 1990’s, this group of refugees were a bit less and consist of Vietnamese Amerasians (children and women) and also political prisoners. In Cuba, there was protest from Cubans that wanted to flee to the U.S away from Castro’s power. Between April and September, Castro opened the borders to 125,000 Cubans who wanted to get leave Cuba.

Once settling in the U.S, most Vietnamese were granted permanent residency in the U.S through family-sponsorship. About 99% of those immigrants received a green card in 1982.  Most Vietnamese immigrants settled in California, some in Texas, Washington, Florida, and Virginia. U.S job industry had Vietnamese immigrants working in every branch, from business and service professionals to material production workers. The Cuban communities for these refugees were located in New York and Florida. Less than 40 percent of the Cubans that immigrated to the U.S. were white-collar class. Most Cubans were highly educated and were professionals in various field of work back in their homeland, which allowed them to exercise their professions once they’ve settling down. Cubans were also granted permanent residency.

The Vietnameseimmigration population in the U.S increased from roughly 231,000 in 1980 to about 1.3 million in 2012, making it the sixth largest foreign minority group in the U.S. Whereas Cuban immigration population in the U.S increase from 737,000 in 1990 to 1,144,000 in 2013.