Cuban Emigration to the United States, Part 1, From 1860 to 1989: A Statistical and Comparative Analysis

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/intejcubastud.13.2.0213
• Pages: 213-229
• Published date: 01 December 2021
• Date: 01 December 2021
• Author: Salim Lamrani
• Subject Matter: Cuba,United States,emigration,America,statistics,comparative analysis

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ACADEMIC ARTICLE

CUBAN EMIGRATION TO THE UNITED

STATES, PART 1, FROM 1860 TO 1989:

A STATISTICAL AND COMPARATIVE

ANALYSIS

Salim Lamrani

Université de La Réunion

Salim Lamrani is a Professor of Latin American History at the University of La Réunion,

specializing in US-Cuba relations. He has published The Economic War Against Cuba. A

Historical and Legal Perspective of the U.S. Blockade (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2013)

and Cuba, the Media and the Challenge of Impartiality (New York: Monthly Review Press,

2015). In total, he is the author of ten books published in French, English, Spanish and Italian.

Abstract

Since 1959, Cuban emigration seems to have been the subject of two consensuses.

First, the Cuban Revolution would have resulted in a significant migratory movement

towards the United States. Second, that this would reflect the rejection of the process

of social transformation structured around a one-party political system put in place by

Fidel Castro. The migration statistics of the US authorities, available for the period from

1860 to 2019, will shed light on this question by comparing the various flows from Cuba

at different times (1860–1959, 1960–89, 1990–2019). Likewise, a comparative analysis

of migratory flows emitted by the countries of the region will assess the relevance of

these two hypotheses.

Keywords: Cuba, United States, emigration, America, statistics, comparative analysis

Introduction

Since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the Cuban migration issue has been the

subject of debate. Two postulates seem to have become widely accepted. First of

214 ACADEMIC ARTICLE – SALIM LAMRANI

InternatIonal Journal of Cuban StudIeS 13.2 WInter 2021

all, it is commonly accepted that the process of social transformation undertaken

under the leadership of Fidel Castro since coming to power and the establish-

ment of a one-party political system were the cause of a migratory phenomenon,

unprecedented in the country’s history, mainly to the United States. Secondly, a

significant proportion of observers of Cuba consider that the massive emigration

of Cubans since 1959 expresses the rejection of the political, economic and

social system currently in force in the largest island of the Caribbean.

The statistics relating to Cuban emigration to the United States, available for

the period from 1860 to 2019, with the exception of the years 1900–19, make it

possible to assess the relevance of these interpretations. What was the migratory

reality in Cuba before 1959 compared to the rest of the American continent? Is

Cuban emigration from 1959 exceptional in comparison with previous figures

and departures from other countries in the region? Are there objective factors

encouraging emigration to the United States specific to Cuba from 1959? What

was the migratory reality during the “Special Period” in general and more pre-

cisely during the famous Balseros crisis in 1994? What is the reality of migratory

flows today? Finally, can we use Cuban emigration to assess the adherence of the

population to the political and socio-economic regime present in the island?

After a presentation of the initial postulate, three chronological lenses will struc-

ture this study. First, it will be necessary to analyse Cuban emigration during the

period 1860–1959, that is to say from the beginning of the decade which marks

the outbreak of the First War of Independence in Cuba (1868–78) until the end of the

reign of the military regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. A second step will focus on

the Cuban migratory reality from 1960 until 1989, that is to say the imposition of the

first economic sanctions by the Eisenhower administration until the year of the fall of

the Berlin Wall. Finally, this analysis will end with the migratory reality of Cuba from

the end of the Cold War to the present day (1990–2019).

Presentation of the Initial Postulate

According to the United States, Cuban emigration to their territory since 1959 is

a fact that must be interpreted from a political angle. Understood this way,

Cuban emigration would demonstrate the rejection on the part of a substantial

part of the population of the political and socio-economic system in force on the

island, which is said to have driven many Cubans into exile. Thus, according to

the State Department, “in the years following the 1959 Revolution, several hun-

dred thousands Cubans fled the island” (Department of State 2000). Washington

stresses that this migratory phenomenon continues to this day: “For decades,

Cubans have fled Cuba, often by raft, seeking freedom in the United States”

(United States Accounting Office 1995).