Cuban Immigrants

Cuban immigrants have been coming to the United States and Canada for years. Many have fled the repressive communist system, seeking freedom in the north. The Cuban exiles of recent decades have united to become an influential economic and political force, particularly in the United States. Since 1959, the United States has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Cuban immigrants. Some exiles have traveled comfortably in airplanes; others have braved the dangerous Straits of Florida in shoddy rafts. US leaders have sometimes modified immigration policy, often in response to the massive waves of Cuban migrants, like those arriving in the boatlifts of 1980 and 1994. Leaders of the Cuban American community have encouraged the US government to continue offering refuge to the migrants who need it. The restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba in 2015 has led to another surge in immigrants in the past few years.