Latin American Immigration

The Cuban Revolution started in 1952 led by the man named Fidel Castro. He attempted to over throw the current leader at the time Fulgencio Batista. He succeeded in 1959 leading to the start of his reign of power. He held that power until his retirement in 2008. From this time there was the huge influx of immigrants who came to Miami and New York City. Because of Castro’s ideas is the main cause for concern of people leaving the country. He was suspicious of everyone and anyone that like him would not like the government and try to overthrow him. He started putting restrictions on plenty of things to the citizens of Cuba such as, people only being able to own a certain amount of land. A lot of people also left because of what he was doing to their businesses. Once the Embargo Act was passed there main export which was sugar had now been cut off to its main buyer which was the...

Puerto Ricans, Politics, and Power: An Electoral History in New York

By Ryan Clinton in Immigrant NYC, Latin American Immigration, Leadership, NYC History

BBy Ryan Clinton History major, Wagner College ’14 Ortega Family History “Look at my hands. I don’t want you to have these kinds of hands,” Manny Ortega’s father used to tell him, raising his calloused palms and drawing attention to his right hand, which was missing half of the middle finger. “He stressed [education for me]” (Ortega Interview). Manny Ortega, the 52-year-old law chairman of Staten Island’s Democratic Party and a practicing family law attorney, emphasized his family’s role in his pursuit of higher education and professional opportunities. Mr. Ortega’s father, an Ecuadorian immigrant to the United States, came to this country in the late 1940s seeking work. He came to New York and joined the merchant marines. An injury tying ropes on the docks sliced off part of his finger. His broken English hampered his ability to receive many distinctions and promotions that he...

The Journey of Jose Gonzalez: From the Domincan Republic to New York City

By Caroline O'Keefe in Immigrant NYC, Latin American Immigration

Dominican Immigrant Experience By Caroline O’Keefe and Alysa Cirelli Wagner College ’16 “Coming here was a little scary, but exciting at the same time,” commented Jose Gonzalez, a thirty- year old immigrant from the Dominican Republic (Jose Interview). During an interview about his immigrant experience, Jose shared many experiences and thoughts on his journey to the United States. Jose migrated from the Dominican Republic when he was just sixteen years old. He came by himself, and settled with his aunt in New York. Migrating was scary for Jose because he had never been on a long trip like this before, never mind to a new country and home. Jose says, “The most I had been was on a bus or a car, but actually having to be on a plane for the first time, by myself, was a lot of things – a lot of emotions. But I would say I was definitely looking forward to it” (Jose...

In the Time of the Monarch Butterfly

By Julia Zenker in Immigrant NYC, Latin American Immigration

Mexican Migrant Push/Pull Factors By Julia Zenker Wagner College ’14 Philosophy and Spanish “After being here for twenty-five years, yes, I feel like an American”, commented Juana during an interview about her experience as an immigrant (Juana interview). Juana, an undocumented Mexican immigrant crossed the US-Mexican border more than twenty-five years ago. With her two young sons in tow, Juana describes how she was able to contract a coyote to help her make the trek. In search of work, Juana’s husband, a gardener, had relocated to the United States four months prior to Juana’s trip north. Juana’s husband eventually found work among the approximate 319,263 Mexicans in the New York Metropolitan area and the 18,684 on Staten Island (Young 1).The couple had decided that there was no need for the family to be separated when the children could receive a...