The Legacy of Exile Cubans in the United States

The Legacy of Exile , the latest entry in the New Immigrants Series, deals with one of the most visible and political of all U.S. immigrant groups–Cubans. This is a group that was welcomed to the United States, that transformed a major U.S. metropolitan area, that exerts a powerful–and controversial–impact on U.S. foreign policy, and that has achieved, in a relatively short time, economic success in this country. The theme of the book is that the Cuban presence has been shaped by the experience of exile. In understanding the case of the Cuban immigration to the United States, students will gain insight into the dynamics of U.S. immigration policy; the differences between immigrants and exiles; interethnic relations among newcomers and established residents; and the economic development of immigrant communities. Cuban immigrants provide a surprising and compelling case study of the relatively successful adaptation of an immigrant community. The book presents the long tradition of Cuban immigration to the United States; the elements of Cuban culture which have emerged and reinforced this tradition of migration; the impact that Cubans have had on the Miami area; as well as the changes within the community as Cubans develop into a well established minority group within the United States.