Cuban Privilege

by Eckstein

For over half a century the US granted Cubans, one of the largest immigrant groups in the country, unique entitlements. While other unauthorized immigrants faced detention, deportation, and no legal rights, Cuban immigrants were able to enter the country without authorization, and have access to welfare benefits and citizenship status. This book is the first to reveal the full range of entitlements granted to Cubans. Initially privileged to undermine the Castro-led revolution in the throes of the Cold War, one US President after another extended new entitlements, even in the post-Cold War era. Drawing on unseen archives, interviews, and survey data, Cuban Privilege highlights how Washington, in the process of privileging Cubans, transformed them from agents of US Cold War foreign policy into a politically powerful force influencing national policy. Comparing the exclusionary treatment of neighboring Haitians, the book discloses the racial and political biases embedded within US immigration policy.

Genres: Grad School, History

391 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2022

Reviews

[David Nanninga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at American immigration and the role that race and politics play in it. End the American embargo of Cuba, it’s time.

[Luis Calleja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book answers many curiosities about the path to naturalization, social assistance and economic prosperity for the Cuban diaspora. Growing up in Miami with Cuban parents I heard about the job placement and training programs, social welfare, Cuban Refugee Emergency Center, but with little context of the foreign and domestic policy that enabled it all. I look around and cannot find a good comp amongst other immigrant groups. How did this all come to be?

This book offers an excellent study of foreign policy, equity building within an immigrant class, the power of entitlements and the positive outcome of adaptation support during Cuban American history.

The most contentious aspect of the book is the classification of Cubans as refugees through the six decades of immigration. The author argues that for the majority of the time, they did not meet the UN criteria. The author also makes some assumptions of the Castro government motivations, conditions and enforcement tactics. It is up to the reader to decide what to take with a grain of salt. That study is outside the scope of the book, which I welcome as it keeps it from reaching 100s more pages.

[Dr. Libia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a history book written by a sociologist. My only concern , since the author is non Hispanic/Latino and definitely not Cuban , is her true knowledge of what happened to the Cuban people throughout and as a consequence of the Revolution.
Post Revolution Cuba has two faces. The face for the world and the face for those living there, even tourists don’t see the real face.
There are Cubans bullied, harassed , killed and jailed for “political reasons.” I realize for someone unfamiliar with Cubans it’s hard to understand.
The Revolution took people’s homes and businesses. Took their culture and livelihood.

I am not clear what she means about Cubans now going to “ a worse situation in parts of Central America.”Granted there are homocidal gangs all over Central America, that may be “worse” but it’s not a walk in the park for Cubans.

Perhaps doing some qualitative studies on the Cuban experience can highlight the Cuban experience. Perhaps the next book?

[Tadeu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book, well researched and well written.

Let's address the elephant in the room though, the book's title has brought a large number of people review-bombing it (allegedly consisting mostly of reactionary right wing Cuban diaspora), which is funny because if they were to ACTUALLY READ the book they'd figure the author if *far* from a Castro apologist or someone attacking the actual people who migrated from Cuba to the US in the last 60 years or so.

Other than that, it's a pretty cool piece of recent history -even for me, someone who's neither Cuban not American- that actually explains a lot about US/Cuba demographics and politics going thoroughly through several legislations, migrant data and a healthy number of anecdotes, spanning from the late 50s to today.

Read it if you're interested in these kinds of things, and of course, ignore the negative empty reviews.

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remain puzzled about the purpose of writing this book, I would like to think that it was informative, and not something else. Anyway, this was a difficult reading for me, not because of my demographic origins, but because the writing style, too statistically loaded for my taste. Nevertheless, the author was on points about 95 percent of the time through the book and that is good enough for me. Would I recommend it, sure, why not.
For Us, Cubans, here is in all its glory, the elephant in the room that we choose not to address since 1959.

[Lina Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and informative book. It answered questions I’ve had for years as a Cuban-American in Miami. It’s a shame that so many people dismiss it out of hand because of the title.