Who Be Them Cubans?

Mexican-American writer Gregory Rodriquez (L.A. Times) has of late taken to understand the Cuban-American community, most recently in his opinion piece Cuba Libre!

says Mr. Rodriguez:

Preferring to see themselves as exiles rather than as immigrants, Cubans in the United States cling to a powerful exodus story — full of loss, longing and redemptive possibilities — that has given meaning to their hardships and inspired their impressive climb up the American social ladder. (emphasis added)

alas, Mr. Rodriguez... i believe you confuse cause and effect. the myth did not inspire the impressive climb up the socioeconomic ladder. the myth simply reflected who they were
(the sort of people who could and would climb that ladder).

the Cuban exile population that arrived from Cuba in the early and mid 1960's was unlike most immigrant populations the U.S. was accustomed to seeing: they were well educated, middle-class or higher, upwardly mobile, and (because of the Cuban national character) highly optimistic.

why do i take exception to this? because of what follows:

All cultural groups like to think of themselves as unique, but Cubans, and especially Cuban Americans, have a grand sense of exceptionalism.

i wonder how Mr. Rodriguez might feel if one were to state that Mexicans, and especially Mexican Americans, have a grand sense of entitlement. (doesn't sound too good, does it?)

i actually do not believe that. i am simply pointing out how Mr. Rodriguez may come across to a non-Mexican audience.

i believe Cubans are proud, and justifiably so, of their accomplishments in the United States.

i also believe that it detracts nothing from other immigrant groups for us to be proud of what we have accomplished.

one would hope that other immigrant groups (or their spokespeople) would not feel the need to detract from us in order to feel better about themselves.

but anyway, what is Mr. Rodriguez's beef? he finally comes to it:

One only need consider the Cuban Refugee Adjustment Act of 1966. Until the law was amended in 1996, all Cuban migrants, no matter their documentation, were allowed to apply for permanent resident status after one year in the U.S.

a-ha... here we have it: Mr. Rodriguez is upset because Cubans get preferential treatment when it comes to immigration, and his Mexican brothers and sisters do not.

however, that is not the doing of Cubans. Mr Rodriguez should realize that it was in the best interest of the United States to allow (indeed, encourage) Cuban immigration during the Cold War, the better to embarrass Castro and his Soviet sugar daddies. it had nothing to do with Cubans and everything to do with Washington power politics.

remember what happened after the end of the Cold War? in 1996 this "open arms" policy changed and now Cubans are returned to Cuba if they are caught off the U.S. If they happen to land in the U.S. (an almost impossible task these days), they are allowed to stay. this almost never happens, and the reason it's in the books is to appease the (overwhelmingly Republican) Cuban-American voting block. it just sounds good, like they have a sporting chance: make it onshore, boys, past 90 miles of sharks and storms and a U.S. Coast Guard gauntlet, and you're in!

at any rate, no more Cold War, no more preferential treatment, Mr. Rodriguez.

and instead of blaming a fellow immigrant group, perhaps you should use your considerable intellect to revive the Soviet Union and turn Mexico into a Soviet satellite state. then, you'd have no quarrel with us Cuban-Americans.