The Struggle Between Mexicans And Cubans - English 1301 - Essay

1
Garza
Carlos E. Garza
English 1301 V60
Professor Haske
26 June 2019
Many individuals see the United States as the land of the free and a land of opportunity, but not everyone receives these opportunities. People such as Mexican and Cuban immigrants are both seen as people that pose a threat to our country. Many efforts have been made in order to stop any more immigrants from illegally entering the United States.
In reference to Harvest of Empire, it is stated that Mexican immigrants endured racism and were often referred to as “cheap dogs, cheap” by the Anglos in the Brownsville region. Similarly, the Cubans also endured such racism, but they were most affected in the way that every Cuban who was found would immediately be deported back to Cuba. The Cubans believed that they were nothing but “pawns of politics the United States. As stated in the book both the Cubans and the Mexicans and other immigrants were able to rise up together and fight through different historical events which affected them greatly and they were able to stand their ground. In Chapter 5 in Harvest to Empire it is stated how during the Great Depression unemployment rates were at a high rate and more than 500,000 Mexicans were forcibly deported many of whom were U.S. citizens who spoke fluent English. As this occurred and area which favored Mexicans the most was the Rio Grande Valley due to the fact that they were able to find safety in numbers.
In Comparison, Cubans who fleed during the Revolution of Fidel Castro also experienced encountered refuge programs which would later be removed by President Clinton in order to halt the mass number of Cuban immigrants entering the United States. The Cubans also experienced racial conflicts between the White Americans such as those which the Mexicans were also abhorred by. Throughout many of the immigrants entering the United States the Cubans did something which differed from what the Mexicans did in the Rio Grande Valley. In Chapter 6 of Harvest to Empire it is stated that Cubans began to economically adapt, in other words the wealthy migrated first and brought their families making Miami’s Hispanic Population skyrocket from a mere 50,000 in 1960 to more than 580,000 in 1980. Therefore, more Cubans began to migrate into Miami and began receiving help from the U.S. Government which provided a shelf full of government assistance programs under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Program. These programs on the other hand, were not offered to other immigrants such as the Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, thus leaving these immigrant groups to fend for themselves and somehow survive and overcome the poverty and risk...