Healthcare differences between Cubans and Haitians in Miami

Healthcare differences between Cubans and Haitians in Miami

1. Introduction
2. Background Information

The United States of America is well known for having the largest number of immigrants in the world. Immigrants select this country because of the hope for a better future in the States as opposed to the kind of life they had in their native countries. Immigrants come from several countries like Mexico, Cuba and Haiti. Haitians and Cubans are two completely different but similar groups, which have immigrated into the United States over the years. These immigrants have settled all over the country but it has been noted that the state of Miami has the highest number of Haitian and Cuban immigrants. This data has been obtained from census information that pertains to the state.

1. Thesis statement

Between 1980 and 2000, several differences have been noted in the kind of treatment that the Cuban and Haitian nationalities receive in the country. The main push factor that led to the migration of these two immigrant groups were the political situation in their respective countries. Both countries were experiencing problems with the regime that was in power. In Haiti, there were common occurrences of rebellions against the government and violations of human rights in the country. In Cuba, the government in power was oppressive to the citizens of the country. Other push factors that added to the citizens frustrations was the subsequent deterioration of the economies in both countries, decrease in the standards of living and that their countries were very unsafe due to the several uprisings that plagued the countries.

For a very long time, Cubans were treated better than the Haitians were. The reasons behind this discriminatory treatment vary but most of them are rooted on the financial capabilities of the two groups of people. Most Cubans were well educated and belonged to the middle class. On the other hand, the Haitians had high levels of illiteracy and were not as comfortable as the Cubans were economically. This difference in economic status is said to be the reasons behind the discriminatory treatment that existed between the Cuban and Haitian citizens (N.A, 2012).

1. Body
2. Support paragraph 1

Haitians migrated from their native country due to the problems that they were encountering there. Citizens in Haiti lived in horrible conditions and often faced rebellions against the government, which was very oppressive. From the late1950’s, Francois Duvalier was the leader of Haiti. His regime was characterised with oppression that greatly displeased the people of Haiti. Subsequent years during his reign led to severe economic hardship in the country that led to migration of most of the citizens. “From Duvalier’s fall until December 1990, the country experienced. Human rights violations, desperate poverty, and government corruption remained an integral part of everyday life. As a result, the number of Haitians seeking refuge in the United States climbed. “(Haitian Immigration: 20th Century).

They migrated because they hoped to get better conditions than those they faced in their homeland. The United States of America was a country that held the conditions that the Haitian immigrants were in search of since it had a thriving economy and their citizens lived comfortably. However, after Duvalier’s fall, the number of immigrants from Haiti considerably reduced as noted in government documents pertaining to immigration, “With Duvalier out…the flow of refugees into South Florida noticeably declined, although the United States continued in an ongoing effort to deter Haitians from coming to this country.”   (Haitian Immigration: 20th Century). Cuban citizens were also facing such circumstances in their home country. This is why the two immigrant groups are very similar as they are different. Cubans were under a similar regime that exposed the citizens to poverty and economic hardships, which was very similar to the conditions that the Haitians were facing in their native home country (McHugh, Ines & Skop2012).

1. Support paragraph 2

Picture of refugees arriving in Florida (Sladky, 2004)

Migration for the Cubans was due to the regime that was ushered in by Fidel Castro. Castro brought about many changes to the country but the most notable one was the conversion of the state to a communist country as opposed to being a capitalist state. The dramatic change that was unplanned for had a huge impact on the economy of the country. Cubans, therefore, opted to migrate to other countries to avoid the poverty that they were facing in their country. The change in the type of government was one of the push factors that lead to the Cuban migration into the United States. Such a transformation affected the private entrepreneurs in the country since they were not allowed to own anything privately. This resulted in their withdrawal from the country that led to the subsequent poor economy this then led to lower standards of life for the Cuban citizens. Cubans also migrated from their native country because it had become very unsafe for them because of the several rebellions that arose against Castro’s government. Another push factor for the migration was Miami was a favourable location for the Cuban immigrants because of a number of reasons. First, it was close to Havana, which made it very easy for the Cubans to travel there from their country. Second, it already had an established Cuban exile community and this encouraged the immigrants to settle here (Camarota, 2011).

Finally, Miami had always had connections with Cuba. The connections were political, economic and social and this made it easy for the Cuban immigrants to settle in Miami. Some immigrants held the belief that the exile was only for a short while, that is until Castro’s regime ended. However, a larger majority knew that there was no possibility of reclaiming the old Cuba that existed before Castro came into power. A television camera operator Mr.Suarez who said, “We had one major advantage, we knew from the beginning that there was no way back to Cuba, and even more to Pre-Castro Cuba”, evidences this (New York Times, 2012).

Generally, the situations that led to the migration of both the Cubans and Haitians were similar since they were all because of the presence of oppressive governments. For this reason, the immigrants in question had to resort to dubious methods in order to escape from their native countries; such methods included the use of rafts.

1. Support paragraph 3

Both the Haitians and the Cubans arrived in Florida manly by water transport. This is because the Florida Straits offered a very easy means of transportation and Miami has a port. In the case of the Cuban immigrants for example, it was easier to travel through the straits since it was only ninety miles away from Havana. Data has revealed that the Florida has the highest number of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. Florida has over 250,000 Haitians which accounts for about 46% of the total number of immigrants in the country.. Other states with a considerable number of Haitians are New York with over 130,000 Haitian immigrants, New Jersey (43,000), Massachusetts (37,000), Georgia (13,000) and Maryland (11,000) (Leonard, Bouvier & Martin, 1995).

Immigration has had some effects on the state of Florida. One of the most significant effects has been that the state has acquired new cultures from the new immigrants who immigrated into the area. Cubans in the region make up an estimated 44% of the population of foreigners in Florida; the Haitians who comprise of 19% closely follow them. Such a large number of immigrants have made it a prime location for other immigrants migrating into the States. Between 1985 and 1990, there were about 350, 000 immigrants who moved into Florida. This number has been gradually increasing ever since. This has been proven by the censuses that took place. They showed that the number of Haitians by 1990 was about 18,000, which showed a significant increase in their numbers.

Cubans on the other hand constituted of about 75% of the foreign population on Florida. This increase in the number of immigrants was made even more prominent by the low birth rate that was recorded in the region. Miami was therefore considered as a new homeland for the Cuban population whose hopes of returning to their country were dashed. Haitians also considered Miami as a home away from home and consequently created ‘Little Haiti’, which was a small community that was based in South Florida. Little Haiti became the hub of all Haitian Life and became their territory and has continued to be until now. Statistics show that about 60% of the Haitian immigrants who moved into the U.S. did so in the 1980s with 40% of them arriving between 1980 and 1984 (Rees, 2012). Miami had quickly become a safe haven for both the Haitian and Cuban immigrants; they were received quite differently in the United States.

1. Support paragraph 4

Ever since the period of immigration, Haitians were considered inferior to the Cubans and as a result were treated badly. Eventually, the Haitians were able to achieve treatment that is equal. Up until 1995, Cubans in Florida obtained special treatment over the other immigration groups in the region. Proof of this was in the number of Cubans legally admitted into the United States while compared to the other nationalities. In addition to this, the number of Cubans deported from the U.S. was lower than the rest of the nationalities in the region. Statistics with regard to this show that over 31, 000 Haitians are deported compared to 19,000 Cubans (Volsky, 2012).

These values may seem insignificant but one should keeping mind that the Cubans are the majority of the population in Florida. Evidence of the presence of mistreatment between these two nationalities was evidenced when one Congresswoman stated “I have always believed that Haitian children should be treated the same as Cuban children” (Seal, 2012). This statement sheds light on the matter of discrimination that existed between the Haitians and the Cubans in Florida. The alleged reason behind the unequal treatment of the two nationalities is assumed that the Cubans were still facing persecution in their native country while the Haitians were not.

This was very unfair to them since the government was expected to offer them more consideration. This was primarily because they were also facing some persecution from their country. Another reason behind this unfair treatment was that the Haitians were believed to have AIDS. Statistics in the early 1980 has showed that the Haitians were at a higher risk of infection while compared to the Cubans. As a result, when the Congress passed an immigration law that” permitted many Central Americans to obtain legal immigration, the Haitians were left out” (Henken, 2012).This went a long way in contributing to the discrimination that they received.

Cuban treatment was better than that of the Haitians but they also had their problems. For instance, special immigration officers for them to obtain permanent residence in the United States interviewed the Cuban immigrants daily. Any opposition to this interview would jeopardize the chances that they had of acquiring citizenship in the U.S. For this reason, they persevered with this exercise to ensure that they gained citizenship because they knew if they did not, they would be forced to go back to the poor living conditions that they were escaping in the first place.

This unequal; and discriminatory treatment of the immigrants was considered a small crisis initially but is soon developed into a Caribbean and then global crisis that required immediate attention. Due to the pressure that the United States Government obtained from the other countries, they rectified their laws. These amendments, which took place in 1995, lead to the equal treatment of the Haitian and the Cuban immigrants. The problems that faced the immigrant were many but they persevered for the hope of a better future than what awaited them in their various countries.

• Conclusion

1. Key points summarization

Both the Haitians and Cubans left their countries because of similar reasons. In both cases, the leadership regime that was in power had subjected the citizens of the respective countries to oppression and subsequent economic downfall. In Cuba, the reign of Fidel Castro was the cause of the sudden migration of the Cuban citizens from their countries. Haiti at this period was headed by Francois Duvalier and was characterized by rebellions against the government. Due to the situations in their countries, citizens from these two countries decided to migrate to the U.S., which offered better living conditions than their native countries, did.

They moved to Miami specifically because it was near their countries and the presence of the Florida Straits made it easier for them to travel to the country. When the immigrants reached America, they were received differently. Cubans were able to fit into the American society with ease as compared to their Haitian counterparts. Haitians faced a lot of discrimination and were treated inferiorly while compared to the Cubans. They encountered several attempts to send them away from the States. However, this changed in 1995 when they were able to attain equal treatment with the Cuban immigrants who were treated better than then before.

The situation in other states all over the country was not similar to that in Miami. For instance in New York, the Haitians were not discriminated against as they were in Miami. New York has the highest number of Haitian immigrants. This is probably the reason why they were treated equally. For the Cubans, there was no discrimination for them either in New York even if their numbers were not as large as those in Miami were. In terms of economic development, the Cubans are more comfortable while compared to the Haitians especially in Miami. Cuban immigrants have thrived in Miami more than in all the other states that they occupy in the U.S.

However, it is important to note that Miami is among the poorest states in the country because most of the families are below the poverty line. Most Hispanic households in Miami have an income of about $35,000 which is below the recommended national average of $42,000.  Some Haitians in the United States lead comfortable lives and earn above the recommended national average. However, the majority of these immigrants earn below the national average (French, 2012). This is probably because of the number of well-educated Haitians is rather low making them ineligible for some jobs.

In addition to this, most of the immigrants are not does proficient in the English language and this limits the job opportunities that they get. Immigration to the United States of America has existed for a very long time. People move to the U.S. because it has several opportunities to offer. Citizens from Cuba and Haiti are examples of the immigrants who migrated to the country. The difference in treatment between the two groups of people has caused a lot of controversy. Equality was attained in 1995, which ended the debate. Presently, both groups live in Miami peacefully though they occupy different regions and they are treated equally.

References

Sladky, Lynne. (2004). Cuban Rafters Arrive in Florida. APImages.comWeb. 21 Nov 2012. .

Henken, Ted. (2012)”Balseros, Boteros, and El Bombo; post-1994 Cuban Immigration to the United States and the persistence of Special Treatment.” Palgrave Macmillan

Seal, Geoff. (15 Nov. 2012).”Helping the Haitian Children: Congresswomen Meeks works for Fair Immigration Treatment.” Sacramento Observer

French, Howard W. (15 Nov. 2012)”Poised In Haiti: 2 Kinds of Refugee With a Single Goal.” New York Times

Volsky, George. (15 Nov. 2012) “Cuban Refugees Adapt to Life in U.S.” New York Times.

Rees, G. Joseph. (2012, November 15). “To the Rescue?” New York Times.

Camarota .A. Steven (2011). Fact Sheet on Haitian Immigrants in the United States. U.S.A. Center for Immigration Studies.

Leonard, William, Bouvier. F. & John L. (1995). The Effects of Immigration Martin U.S.A. Center for Immigration Studies. Shaping Florida: 1970-2020.Web. 21 November. 2012.

McHugh, E., Ines M. & Emily H. Skop. (2012) “The Magnetism of Miami: Segmented Paths in Cuban Migration.” LatinAmericanStudies.org. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.

N.A. “Haitian Immigration: 20th Century.” In Motion the African American Migration Experience. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. .

 

 

 

 

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