Immigration by Sea: A Comparison of the Immigration Experience Between Cubans and Haitians
Image courtesy of Christian Lendl via Unsplash
The form of immigration that most commonly appears on the news is immigration by land, but those who immigrate by sea go through a different journey, even once they reach the U.S. Instead of crossing the border, there has been a trend of Caribbean immigrants traveling the Caribbean Sea to the U.S. by boat. Hundreds of immigrants from the Caribbean have crossed the sea since the beginning of 2023 with one of the larger groups consisting of 114 Haitian migrants that arrived in the Florida Keys by boat. Haitian and Cuban immigrants undergo this dangerous passage to escape the grim economic and political situations. While their route to the U.S. is similar, there is a drastic difference between the treatment and experiences of Haitian and Cuban immigrants once they reach the country.
Immigrating across the Caribbean Sea by undocumented individuals is the alternative to entering the U.S. by land or overstaying a visa. Boat travel conditions involve multiple people packed together in a small space typically around the size of a sailboat where these migrants can be at risk of violence, as well as injury and death, whether from a person on the boat, weather, or tidal conditions. As immigrants from the Caribbean face dangers on the sea, they likewise confront the possibility of being caught by the Coast Guard or U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. In this scenario, the sole outcome is deportation.
Haitian and Cuban immigrants have traveled to the U.S. by sea for years, but there has been a recent spike in their unauthorized migration. More than 4,400 immigrants have traveled by boat, and the majority of them land in Florida because of its proximity to their islands. While Cubans and Haitians reach the U.S. the same way, their experiences within the country differ in terms of their treatment, asylum-seeking process, and more.
Cubans have been immigrating to the U.S. for around a century, and they continue to be one of the largest ethnic groups that migrate to the U.S. Unauthorized Cuban immigrants enter by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border or the Caribbean Sea for better economic opportunities—as opposed to Cuba’s economy, which has been struggling ever since COVID-19 hurt their major tourism industry. On top of this, the country is experiencing medicine and food shortages, causing prices to rise. While some Cubans have migrated within the country, others are left with no choice but to immigrate to the U.S. instead.
In terms of immigration policy, Cubans have been described as receiving “special treatment” once they reach the U.S. and in their process to stay. The Refugee Act of 1980, which created the asylum system, stated that refugee status would be granted to those who were facing discrimination according to certain criteria; however, Cubans have historically not had to prove that they were the “victim of any form of political violence or mistreatment based on [their] political beliefs.” Cuban immigrants could easily obtain refugee status compared to other ethnic groups, and their process to residency has also not been as difficult. Cubans experienced discrimination as any ethnic minority group would throughout the late 1950s and into the 1970s, though with 95 percent of Cubans that came to the U.S. during this time identifying as white, they were eventually seen as a “White” group, which gave them privilege in their treatment upon arrival and during the immigration process as well. Allowing Cuban immigrants to stay in the U.S. with updated policies that could provide them legal status has long been a trend. In 1995, the Wet-Foot Dry-Foot policy was enacted until 2017 and allowed anyone from Cuba that reached the U.S., legally or illegally, to become a permanent resident. Obama’s reason for ending the policy was that “By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries.” This action called attention to the advantage Cubans had compared to other immigrants, especially from other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Even though they do not come to the U.S. in numbers as large as Cuban immigrants, Haitians have immigrated due to political corruption, violence, environmental disasters, and economic reasons. Described as one of the poorest countries in the world, various factors contribute to Haiti’s label. Political instability has affected the country for years, the most recent event being the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 and the subsequent civil unrest from Haiti’s population. Gangs have not been properly restrained, but their violence and crimes have harmed thousands of civilians in the past year. With their future and lives at stake, many Haitians turn to immigrate to the U.S., mainly to seek asylum.
During the 1980s, around the same time that a large amount of Cubans were migrating to the U.S., Haitians were grouped together with Cubans as “Cuban-Haitian Entrants,” but according to a Congressional Service Research report, “the vast majority of Haitians who arrived in South Florida did not qualify for asylum according to the newly enacted individualized definition of persecution” under the aforementioned Refugee Act. The difference in treatment between the two groups established by one of the first major policies created in response to their immigration perpetuated the advantage Cuban immigrants had as opposed to Haitians. Congress even passed the Haitian Refugee Immigrant Fairness Act in 1998 in response to the harsh treatment of Haitians during their arrival and asylum-seeking process. The Act intended to end the unequal treatment between Cuban and Haitian immigrants so that Haitians’ odds to be admitted as refugees and qualifying for legal status would be greater. While previous policies reveal a clear indication of inequality in the treatment of the two groups, some action has been taken by the U.S. government to prevent either from having an advantage.
As of January 6, 2023, new processes for Cuban and Haitian immigrants to enter and stay in the U.S. legally have been put in place as a response to the thousands of people entering unauthorized in previous years. Individuals from both countries, with the addition of Nicaragua and Venezuela, would be allowed to stay in the U.S. for up to two years if they meet the eligibility criteria, which includes needing a sponsor. There are disparities within the requirements set where Cubans are more likely to meet them as opposed to Haitians and other immigrant groups. This provides a safe option that Cubans and Haitians can take to avoid the dangers of entering the country unauthorized and has caused the number of encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border to drop 97 percent. With the new process providing a better alternative to entering the country illegally by boat or land, disparities between Cuban and Haitian immigrants persist. Even so, many continue to take the dangerous route because meeting the requirements of asylum and other authorization processes is difficult. The immigration system and policies continue to leave immigrants without another choice but to take the route that puts their lives at risk.
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