Abstract
In recent years, southern Florida has experienced rapid new inflows of immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean. Since the arrival in 1980 of Mariel (Cuban) and Haitian immigrants to this area, a great deal of speculation has emerged as to the adaptation of these two groups to south Florida and the impact which their presence has wielded on the social and economic arenas of that region. In this paper, we present selected background characteristics of representative samples of both groups and discuss our empirical findings with regard to the labor market experiences, social networks, and educational experiences of the immigrants included in our sample. While the two groups minimally differ from earlier cohorts of their compatriots entering south Florida, their experiences since arriving in Florida have been quite different. Both the Cuban and Haitian immigrants arriving in 1980 demonstrate higher levels of unemployment than their counterparts who arrived earlier; however, the existence of the Cuban economic enclave in Miami did facilitate the entry of a greater number of Cubans than Haitians into the formal labor market. Initial evidence indicates that significant numbers of individuals from both groups participate in the informal labor market, often receiving less than the minimum wage.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bach, R., J. Bach, and T. Triplett (1981). ‘The flotilla ‘entrants’: latest and most controversial’, Cuban Studies 11: 29–48.
Boswell, T. and J. Curtis (1984). The Cuban-American Experience. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Allanheld.
Clark, J., J. Lasaga, and R. Reque (1981). The 1980 Mariel Exodus: An Assessment and Prospect. Washington, D.C.: Council for Inter-American Security.
Lundahl, M. (1979). Peasants and Poverty: A Study of Haiti. London: Croom-Helm.
Miller, J. (1984). The Plight of Haitian Refugees. New York: Praeger.
Perusek, G. (1984). ‘Haitian emigration in the early twentieth century’, International Migration Review 18: 4–18.
Portes, A. and R. Bach (1985). Latin Journey: Cuban and Mexican Immigrants in the United States. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Portes, A. and J. Curtis (1985). ‘Determinants of naturalization among recent Mexican immigrants: re-analysis of a six year follow-up’. Paper presented at the second conference on Citizenship, National Association of Latin American Elected Officials, Los Angeles.
Portes, A. and A. Stepick (1985). ‘Flight into despair: a profile of recent Haitian refugees in South Florida’, International Migration Review (forthcoming).
Portes, A., J. Clark, and M. Lopez (1981). ‘Six years later: a profile of the process of incorporation of Cuban exiles in the United States’, Cuban Studies 11: 1–24.
Stepick, A. (1982). Haitian Refugees in the United States. London: Minority Rights Group.
Stepick, A. (1984). ‘The Haitian informal sector in Miami’, in Conference Proceedings, The Urban Informal Sector: Recent Trends in Research and Theory. Baltimore, Maryland: Department of Sociology, Johns Hopkins University.
Wilson, K. and W. Martin (1982). ‘Ethnic enclaves: a comparison of the Cuban and black economies in Miami’, American Journal of Sociology 88: 135–160.
Wilson, K. and A. Portes (1980). ‘Immigrant enclaves: analysis of the labor market experiences of Cubans in Miami’, American Journal of Sociology 86: 295–319.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was conducted with the support of the Sociology Program, National Science Foundation (Grant #SES-8215567).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Portes, A., Stepick, A. & Truelove, C. Three years later: the adaptation process of 1980 (Mariel) Cuban and Haitian refugees in South Florida. Popul Res Policy Rev 5, 83–94 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124880
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124880