Cuban immigration over the lifetime of Celia: 1909 to 1980

The novel Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia discuses the lives of several generations of the del Pino family women. The matriarch, Celia, has lived a life full of experiences, both good and bad. She has seen a lot happen to Cuba and how it has affected those around her, both in Cuba and her family who have left for life in the United States. Through Celia the impact of the Castro regime is seen on Cuba and its citizens. At the end, the difficulties with immigration and emigration are shown through Ivanito. Her daughter and granddaughter, Lourdes and Pilar, live in the United States and have the perspective of those that have escaped Castro. They don’t visit Celia until the end of the novel for both personal and political reasons. While politics plays a large role in this novel, it is not often explained well, especially when dealing with immigration.

1909 – 1959

            In 1910, one year after Celia was born, the number of Cubans living in the United States was around 15,000. During this time there was no limit on the number of Cubans that immigrated to the U.S.  The immigrating Cubans even had an easier time of obtaining residency, a luxury not given to other immigrant groups (History of Cuban Immigration to the United States).  At this time Cuba was not treated any differently than any other country in terms of immigration. For this time period the immigration was affected by polices that were not directed solely at Cubans, but policies that impacted any citizens from any country. One example of this was the Walter-McCarran Act of 1952 (Eckstein and Barberia, 2001).

            This Act, also called the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, established quota systems for regions and nationalities, along with a preference system. The act also defined types of immigrants: those with special skills or relatives that are American citizens, average immigrants to whom quotas were applied, and refugees. The other important establishment made by this act was that the government could now decline entry to those involved in subversive activities, one of which would include being involved with the Communist Party (Rosenfield, 1958). This is important when looking at Cuban immigration because following the revolution in 1959 Cuba was considered a communist nation. The act also allowed for those who wished to escape communism to have an easier experience with immigration. However, during the pre-revolutionary period Cuba was treated the same as the other Caribbean and Latin America countries.

            The political atmosphere in Cuba during this time was one on the verge of change. Until the revolution Cuba was closely observed by the United States. It was a place where there was cheap labor for sugar and tobacco production, as well as a sort of playground for wealthy North Americans and had a strong Mafia presence. Cuba also had a history of dictators during this period. Gerardo Machado ruled with a regime of terror and suppression for 9 years. Machado was followed by Fulgencio Batista, who ruled from 1934 to 1959. During the years under these dictator’s there remained a gap between the wealthy and the poor. The communist party was active in the political game as well, organizing some of the protests that removed Machado. During Batista’s rule the Cuban Communist Party focused on national issues and the national interest, leading to government takeover of the party and its subsequent banning (Binns and Gonzalez, 1980).

            The time period of 1909-1959 did not focus greatly on the relationship between the United States and Cuba. The policies of the time were in response to global influences. The Immigration and Nationality act of 1952 set quotas for immigration from different regions of the world into the United States, as well as enabling the United States to not permit criminals to come into the country. This was used to keep out Communists during the time when there was much fear of the ideas of communism in the United States. It also allowed for the rescuing of those who wished to escape communism in their own countries. This ties into Cuba where despite having dictators, there was a strong communist presence for much of this time. In Cuba there was a lot of fear and suppression, and while there were not specific laws against them not immigrating to the United States the communist presence allowed for some to immigrate easily. Soon the communist movement would create many barriers for political relations and immigration between the two countries.

1959-1980

            1959 was a year of changes for both Cuba and the United States. In this year a revolution occurred in Cuba and Fidel Castro came to power, and he brought communism with him. As discussed before, communism is nothing new to Cuba, but this was the first time it was the major player on the political stage.

            By the time of the revolution in 1959 there were about 124,000 Cubans living in the United States. This is quite a large increase since 1910. Not everyone supported the revolution and many of those people left before too much could happen, most of these were wealthy Cubans seeking to protect themselves and their money. There was an influx of Cubans in the very early years of the revolution; about 215,000 immigrated to the United States during this time (History of Cuban Immigration to the United States). From 1959 to 1994 the U.S. has had a somewhat free entry policy towards Cuban immigrants, especially those that were trying to escape the communism that was occurring in Cuba at the time. Even since the countries have ceased diplomatic relations in 1961, Cubans are allowed into the U.S. on a parole basis without the need for a visa, even if they arrived illegally (Travieso-Diaz, 1998).

            1961 was a turning point in the history of the relationship between Cuba and the U.S.; it was in that year that the attack of the Bay of Pigs occurred. It is around this time that Lourdes and her family leave Cuba for the U.S. The Bay of Pigs was an agreement between the U.S. and Cuban revolutionaries to oust Castro from power. The U.S. was supposed to provide military support for the revolutionary militias, however this did not occur as planned. Local militias defeated the fighters and the U.S. pulled out from the engagement (Vandenbroucke, 1984). This action lead to increased support of Castro and his regime. Following this incident the U.S. began to sever ties with Cuba, the government started by banning all tourism. This loss began to affect the economic structure of Cuba, some people left Cuba during this time. The Cuban people during this political drama were very supportive of Castro and his leadership (Binns and Gonzalez, 1980). In response to the increased immigration the U.S. initiated the Cuban Refugee Program to help those entering the country. In 1962 the Migration and Refugee act allowed for Cubans who immigrated to the U.S., legally or illegally, to be treated as refugees (Eckstein and Barberia, 2001).

            The next change in the immigration relationship between the U.S. and Cuba occurred in 1965-1966. In 1965 the U.S. engaged in Freedom Flights under the Memorandum of Understanding, these flights consisted of flying several thousand Cubans to the U.S. Priority was given to those with families that had already left Cuba (Eckstein and Barberia, 2001). In 1966 the Cuban Refugee Act was passed, this act allowed for Cubans who had been living in the U.S. to obtain permanent residency status. This meant that Cubans who had been living in the U.S. for a year could apply to gain residency status, regardless of how they obtained entry into the U.S., an opportunity not given to other groups of immigrants at the time (Wasem, 2009).

            One of the last scenes in the novel discusses the Mariel boatlift crisis that occurred in 1979 to 1980. The crisis began when 12 people, who were seeking asylum in the Venezuelan Embassy, crashed into the embassy using a bus. The scene in the book takes place on a day several months into the crisis that another bus driver crashed into the gates of the Venezuelan Embassy in an effort to gain asylum for the people on the bus, in the process of this attempt a Cuban guard was killed. Over the next couple of months others try to gain entry, but are rarely successful. Eventually another group of 12 gains asylum, but the Cuban government refuses to grant permission for those who forced their way into an Embassy to leave the country.  Finally, the Cuban government allows those in the Embassy to leave and states that anyone else who wishes to leave may go to the Embassy as well, over 10,000 respond to this and arrive at the Embassy. About 6,200 refugees are airlifted to the U.S. (Document 0038).

            Post-revolutionary Cuba made the world a busy place, for both its citizens and countries trying to foster relations. The Cold War atmosphere made it easy for those that wished to escape communism to do so, but also made everyone suspicious of those coming out of any communist country. The U.S. immigration policies reflect these changing ideals on how to deal with Cuban and its new leader, Castro. Initially, the U.S. served as a place for the wealthy and elite Cubans to protect the assets they had accumulated in their business ventures. However, it quickly became an escape for anyone who wished to be free from the rule of Castro. The U.S. had two major impacts on Cuba during this time. The first was the Bay of Pigs and the failed attempt to relieve Castro of his power. The second was the Mariel Boat Crisis of the 1980s where many Cubans were airlifted from the Venezuelan Embassy. Most of these occurrences are not directly outlined in the book, except for the boatlift, however these political policies played a large role in the lives of many during this time period.

            Dreaming in Cuban is a novel that focuses on the lives of several women in a family and because the family is spread out geographically these policies impact the interactions between them. The novel often glosses over many of the political subtleties that prevent the family members from traveling back and forth, but with this new background information on the politics involved in travel between the two countries the difficulties are better understood. By taking the time to gain knowledge about the political arena we can understand Celia and her passion for the revolution and what that meant for her, both what she gained and what she gave up. It also helps us to understand how and why Lourdes and her family escaped from Cuba when they did and how they became citizens in the United States. Gaining this information can only give the characters more depth and aid in understanding the novel at a deeper level.