The Family in Exile: Cuban Expatriates in the United States

Abstract

For the nearly one million Cuban exiles in the United States to date (1976), the ordeal of expatriation has meant anguish and uprootedness, challenge and accomplishment. Several factors account for the comparatively successful aspects of their struggle: relatively high occupational and educational levels, formation of vigorous communities that permit the maintenance of a positive ethnic consciousness and the creation of strong social ties, and effectively organized reception by the United States. Expatriation is always traumatic and produces "casualties," but mastery of the struggles it involves can lead to personal growth and expanded horizons. The Cuban expatriate experience shows that the influx of large numbers of refugees can be a creative and enriching process for both the host country and the individual refugee.

Keywords: Cuban expatriates, experience of exile, unaccompanied children, context of reception, resources and vulnerabilities, marginality, ethnic consciousness, ethnic communities, psychological elements, social determinants, government policies