ES / EN
- May 13, 2025 -
No Result
View All Result
OnCubaNews
  • World
  • Cuba
  • Cuba-USA
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Infographic
  • Culture
    • Billboard
  • Sports
  • Styles / Trends
  • Media
  • Special
  • Cuban Flavors
  • World
  • Cuba
  • Cuba-USA
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Infographic
  • Culture
    • Billboard
  • Sports
  • Styles / Trends
  • Media
  • Special
  • Cuban Flavors
OnCubaNews
ES / EN
Home Opinion Columns It is not easy

The 2022 FIU Cuba Poll (II)

Which are the links that Cuban Americans have with family on the island? Here we present what we learn from these questions.

by
  • Guillermo J. Grenier
October 31, 2022
in It is not easy
0
Photo: Kaloian.

Photo: Kaloian.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

Old Cuban Proverb. Really.

 

The Politics of Family Separation/Reunification

The “mangos bajos” of U.S. Cuba policy has always been the theme of family reunification. Cubans, most Cubans, have strong family alliances that survive the anguish of migration. The 2022 FIU Cuba Poll measures the extent and nature of some of these ties when we ask questions about the links that Cuban Americans have with family on the island. Here we present what we learn from these questions.

While the Biden administration has done little to differentiate itself from the Trump administration when it comes to Cuba policy, the little it has done effects the ability of Cuban families to reunite or assist each other across the Florida Straits. In May 2022, the United States announced the resumption of the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) program which was established in 2007 and suspended during the Trump years, as well as the resumption of visa granting services “on a limited basis” at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.  In the same May announcement, Biden lifted some of the restrictions on travel and remittances imposed by Trump. On September 21, 2022, the website of the U.S. embassy in Cuba announced that “beginning in early 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Havana will resume full immigrant visa processing for the first time since 2017.”  These limited initiatives, all of which had been fully operational before the Trump era, took place after an extensive and lengthy internal review. For the Biden administration, Cuba policy is evidently the equivalent of rocket science.

A large majority of Cuban Americans in South Florida have relatives or significant others living in Cuba.

Related Posts

From the Casa del Cimarrón, the members of the expedition. Photo: Julio Larramendi.

El Camino del Cimarron: Ready for Prime Time

August 20, 2024
Cubans in Miami. Photo: AFP.

The March of Thousands: Some Considerations on the Incorporation of New Cuban Americans into the South Florida Political Culture

May 10, 2023
Miami. Photo: Canva.

FIU Cuba Poll 2022: Discussion and implications (V and final)

November 21, 2022
Election Day (2020) in Miami. Photo: Marita Pérez Díaz.

The 2022 FIU Cuba Poll (IV)

November 3, 2022

Migration waves from Cuba to the United States are either large or small but migration from the island has not stopped since 1959.  New arrivals provide the top layer of what is a veritable archeological migratory landscape. Even as the foundation layer of Cubans in Miami fades away, but new arrivals continue to build the Cuban American community.

The South Florida community has the characteristics of a true transnational diaspora. Many families on the island have experienced the migration of one or more of their members. Approximately 67% of Cubans living in South Florida have relatives living in Cuba. (Figure1) Unsurprisingly, a higher percentage of those who migrated since 1995 have relatives left behind.

Figure 1. Close relatives or significant others living in Cuba?

A strong majority of Cubans who have relatives on the island plan to bring them over at some point. Fifty-eight percent of Cubans in South Florida with relatives on the island indicate that family reunification is on their minds.

Strong support for the provision of visa services at the U.S. Embassy in Havana as well as for the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program.

The recent announcement by the Biden administration that it will resume full immigration visa services in Havana next year will be welcomed by the vast majority of Cuban Americans in South Florida. Despite their ambivalent views on the maintenance of diplomatic relations, (see OnCuba xxx) a near-consensus exists among Cuban Americans that the United States embassy in Havana should provide immigrant visa services to Cubans wishing to travel to the United States. Eighty-two percent of respondents support the provision of visa services at the U.S. embassy in Havana (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Support for the Issuing of Visas at Embassy in Havana.

Similar support is expressed for the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) program as ninety-two percent of respondents support the program (Figure 3). As a journalist colleague mentioned when she saw these figures, “Why did they take so long in moving in this direction with so much support? Didn’t they know?”

Figure 3. Support for the Family Reunification Parole Program.

Support for allowing all Americans unrestricted travel to the island remains split but Cuban Americans travel when necessary

For the second consecutive poll, the Cuban American community in South Florida is split on its supports for initiating a policy allowing unrestricted travel by all Americans to the island. Forty-seven percent of respondents expressed support for allowing all Americans to travel to the island, a figure unchanged from the 2020 poll.  The younger populations, those born outside of Cuba, registered Democrats, non-citizens and the post-2015 arrivals are the most eager to support opening up travel to all U.S. citizens and residents (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Support for Unrestricted Travel for All Americans

The lack of support for opening up travel to others does not prevent Cuban Americans from exercising the accessibility to the island. Over half of the respondents report traveling to the island at some point. Forty six percent report never having traveled at all. Recent migrants are the most frequent travelers. Nearly 30% of Cuban Americans born outside of the island have made the journey to their parents’ homeland (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Have You Traveled to Cuba?

Strong support for allowing U.S. airlines to all regions of the island, not only Havana.

Perhaps because they value their ability to travel to the island when they see fit, Cuban Americans want the U.S. airlines to have the freedom to establish routes to all parts of the island, not only Havana. The Biden administration’s lifting of itinerary restrictions on U.S. airlines establishing routes to Cuba fits into the community’s desire to travel to visit friends and family on the island. Approximately 71% of the community agree with the changes and a majority of all cohorts endorse expanding airline services beyond the capital (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Airlines Should be able to Reestablish Services to All
Regions of Island?

Almost half of Cuban Americans send remittances to family members on the island and most do not think that the amount of remittances should be restricted

Despite the inconveniences posed by the Trump administration’s restriction on remittances which forced the highly efficient Western Union operations to leave the island, Cubans in South Florida continue to send remittances to friends and relatives. Close to half of all Cuban-American families send remittances to relatives in Cuba (47%). The most recent arrivals are the most likely to send remittances while the older population group and the pre-1995 migrants are the least likely to do so. It’s worth mentioning that the most recent arrivals have fewer resources to contribute to relatives on the island but, nevertheless, a majority manages to share these resources with those left behind. The old saying comes to mind: “Cubans share what they have, not what is left over.” (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Send Remittances to relatives?

And the amount of the remittances should not be limited, according to a majority of the community members. Not surprisingly, most recent arrivals and the non-Cuba born generations are the most supportive of not limiting the amount of remittances (Figure 8).

Figure 8. The Amount of Remittances Should Not Be Limited?

The recent shifts in Biden’s Cuba policy address many of the desires of the Cuban American community to assist and reunite with family living on the island. In the next article in our series, we will look at how Cuban Americans view domestic policies that have an impact on their daily lives.

 

  • Guillermo J. Grenier
Tags: Cuba-USCuban American populationFIU Cuba Poll
Previous Post

Cuba: new procedure for self-employed workers

Next Post

Havana’s Cayo Hueso

Guillermo J. Grenier

Guillermo J. Grenier

Nacido en La Habana, Cuba, es uno de los fundadores de la Escuela de Análisis Social de Miami. Es autor o coautor de varios libros y artículos sobre trabajo, migración, incorporación de inmigrantes y perfiles ideológicos de cubanoamericanos. Es experto en actitudes políticas de los cubanoamericanos en el sur de Florida. Desde 1991, se ha desempeñado como investigador principal de FIU Cuba Poll, un proyecto copatrocinado por el Instituto Cubano de Investigaciones. Recibió su Ph.D. en Sociología y su Maestría en Estudios Latinoamericanos de la Universidad de Nuevo México en Albuquerque. Puedes seguirlo en Twitter: @greniergj https://twitter.com/GrenierGJ y Medium: https://guillermogrenier.medium.com/

Next Post
Cayo Hueso, Havana. Photo: Kaloian Santos.

Havana’s Cayo Hueso

Calle 8, Miami. Photo: Marita Pérez Díaz.

The 2022 FIU Cuba Poll (III)

Election Day (2020) in Miami. Photo: Marita Pérez Díaz.

The 2022 FIU Cuba Poll (IV)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The conversation here is moderated according to OnCuba News discussion guidelines. Please read the Comment Policy before joining the discussion.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Most Read

  • The Enchanted Shrimp of the Cuban Dance

    2952 shares
    Share 1181 Tweet 738
  • Cuban Cardinal before the conclave: “There is a desire to maintain the legacy of Pope Francis”

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9
  • Cuban economy, the “regulations” and the shoe

    14 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • Deported and without her baby daughter: Heidy Sánchez’s desperation

    10 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • Non-alpha IL-2 Mutein: a Cuban hope for cancer

    7 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2

Most Commented

  • Photovoltaic solar park in Cuba. Photo: Taken from the Facebook profile of the Electricity Conglomerate (UNE).

    Solar parks vs. blackouts: between illusions and reality (I)

    15 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • Fernando Pérez, a traveler

    11 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • Solar parks vs. blackouts: between illusions and reality (II and end)

    13 shares
    Share 5 Tweet 3
  • The “Pan de La Habana” has arrived

    31 shares
    Share 12 Tweet 8
  • China positions itself as Cuba’s main medical supplier after signing new contracts

    27 shares
    Share 11 Tweet 7
  • About us
  • Work with OnCuba
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Moderation policy for comments
  • Contact us
  • Advertisement offers

OnCuba and the OnCuba logo are registered® trademarks of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiaries or divisions.
OnCuba © by Fuego Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • Cuba
  • Cuba-USA
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Infographic
  • Culture
    • Billboard
  • Sports
  • Styles / Trends
  • Media
  • Special
  • Cuban Flavors

OnCuba and the OnCuba logo are registered® trademarks of Fuego Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiaries or divisions.
OnCuba © by Fuego Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}