Caribbean-Global Interactions Additional Information

(a) Caribbean influences on extra-regional countries:

(i) Political issues created within countries of Europe and North America by the presence of
large numbers of Caribbean people (for example, impact of the Haitians and Cubans living in
Florida upon the politics of that State);

– The impact of Caribbean Festivals, for example, Notting Hill in the United Kingdom, the West
Indian Day parade in Brooklyn, Carnival in Miami and Caribana in Canada, on metropolitan
countries.
– The impact of migrant labor on the metropolitan countries.

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Haitians and Cubans living in Florida:

Florida has long been home to Spanish heritage and Caribbean descent immigrants. The state
has experienced many waves of colonization and immigration. Florida’s map is sprinkled with
Spanish names hinting at a shared history and culture that has transcended time. In the present
day, immigrants comprise about 21% of the Floridian population, with 23% of these immigrants
being of Cuban descent, making Cubans the largest group of immigrants to Florida, followed by
Haitians, who comprise 8% of all Floridian migrants. More specifically, one could note that the
large number of Cuban communities in certain parts of Florida today are as a result of the
Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro.

Cuban Miami
Many Cuban immigrants settled in Miami, and the term “Cuban Miami” was coined following the
mass influx of Cubans moving to this city. Within the city of Miami, these groups built their own
businesses. Federal aid was also extended to them by the U.S. government since they qualified
as political refugees seeking asylum. Another large wave of immigrants were also former
laborers in Cuba, artisanal workers, small-scale vendors, and clerical and sales workers.
300,000 Cubans flew to Miami, expanding the influence of Cubans and Spanish-speaking
individuals within this metropolitan area.

Haitian Migration
The first Haitians arrived by boat to Miami in 1963. Jean-Claude Duvalier’s brutal dictatorship of
the 1970s led more of Haiti’s working class to make the voyage to Miami, and by 1977, Haitians
regularly arrived at Miami’s shores. Between 1977 and 1981, more than 70,000 Haitians
migrated to South Florida this way. The Haitian migrants of the 1960s represented the
professional and upper class and settled in cities like New York, yet toward the late 1970’s this
group moved south to Miami to join a growing Haitian community. Under President Carter’s
Cuban-Haitian entrant program, Haitian refugees were granted asylum, an opportunity that
allowed them to make the U.S., more specifically Florida, their new home.

Little Haiti – The Fraternal Twin

Much like the Cuban immigrants that came to Miami to start their own neighborhood filled with
Cuban culture, Haitians did the same. Little Haiti is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida, that was
created to emulate Haitian culture through its city blocks lined with Haitian restaurants, art
galleries, record stores, bars, and many other family owned enterprises.
Little Haiti is the heart and soul of Miami’s Haitian community. Local venues, businesses and
bookstores are devoted to Haitian literature in French, Creole and English. Located about five
miles north of Downtown Miami, Little Haiti’s main attractions are centered around the Northeast
2nd Avenue corridor. A thriving arts scene is alive here.
The neighborhood is a fabulous place to sample authentic Haitian and other Caribbean cuisine.
It is of great cultural significance to the Haitian Diaspora as they support their community
through opening and frequenting Haitian-owned and operated businesses.
In 2010, Little Haiti reached a population of 30,642, as noted in the most recent community
assessment.

Negative impact: Life for Immigrants in Florida Today

The current governor of Florida is Ron DeSantis, an extreme right-wing conservative who has
expressed open hostility towards immigrant communities. Most recently, he stated,“It is not the
responsibility of Floridians to subsidize aliens to reside in our state unlawfully, we did not
consent to Biden’s open-borders agenda,” DeSantis’s office said.
The governor often speaks out against immigration and any policies working to provide any form
of relief to immigrants entering this nation. DeSantis made negative comments toward the Biden
administration’s termination of Title 42, a policy that closed the border to migrants and asylum
seekers. Following the termination of this policy, DeSantis stated, “Joe Biden’s reckless border
policies have allowed more than 2 million foreigners to enter our country illegally via the
southern border.”
Negative ideologies toward immigrants have translated into the policies supported by DeSantis.
In early March of this year, 2022, the Florida House passed SB 1808, a bill that aims to stop the
transportation of immigrants into the state of Florida. This bill is in the process of becoming a
law, and the result of this is harmful in at least two ways. Firstly, finding a way to stop the
transportation of migrants and asylum seekers into the state of Florida is borderline immoral.
Coupled with the sentiments being vocalized by DeSantis to the people of Florida, this bill is
also harmful to the way individuals perceive immigrants, effectively worsening the divide and
increasing the level of marginalization amongst these groups.