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Investigating intra-ethnic divisions among Latino immigrants in Miami, Florida

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Abstract

The demographic diversification of the Latino population, in terms of both generational change and national origin, calls for the exploration of intra-group dynamics within the often-asserted but rarely investigated Latino communities. These demographic shifts are particularly salient in the Miami-Dade County, Florida, metropolitan area, making it an ideal case study for investigating pan-ethnic social cohesion and divisions. This article analyzes forty-five semi-structured qualitative interviews with Latino immigrants in Miami from ten nationalities to understand how immigrants from various countries perceive divisions among each other and how these perceptions affect their interactions. We find the most significant divisions to exist between Caribbean Latinos and Continental Latin American Latinos.

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Notes

  1. All the Spanish-speaking countries of North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean, are represented in the original dataset of over 200 interviews conducted in Boston, Los Angeles, and Miami.

  2. Although Puerto Ricans are considered US citizens, they were included in this analysis because of their sizeable numbers in Miami, in order to better represent the interactions between the various Latino communities in Miami.

  3. The Obama administration began to thaw American relations with Cuba in 2014 by rolling back economic sanctions against the island nation, reestablishing diplomatic relations between the two countries, engaging in cooperative efforts to curtail drug trafficking, permitting tourist travel, and allowing the use of American credit cards in Cuba, among other initiatives. Since taking office in January 2017, the Trump administration has drastically reduced the size of the American embassy in Cuba and has expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from their embassy in Washington. On 9 November 2017, the Trump administration implemented plans to return to more Cold War–like relations with Cuba, prohibiting travel except with Treasury Department—approved and guided tour groups, prohibiting any commercial transactions with ties to the Cuban government and military, and restricting trade with 180 State Department identified agencies (DeYoung 2017).

  4. Interview no. 11.

  5. Interview no. 15.

  6. Interview no. 24.

  7. Interview no. 33.

  8. Interview no. 27.

  9. All the names of the respondents were changed.

  10. Interview no. 31.

  11. Interview no. 7.

  12. Interview no. 33.

  13. Interview no. 21.

  14. Interview no. 22.

  15. This was the case for 75% of our Dominican respondents and 65% of our Cuban respondents.

  16. Interview no. 45.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sorbonne Law School, Paris, France

    Marie L. Mallet

  2. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA

    Joanna M. Pinto-Coelho

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  1. Marie L. Mallet
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Correspondence to Marie L. Mallet.

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Mallet, M.L., Pinto-Coelho, J.M. Investigating intra-ethnic divisions among Latino immigrants in Miami, Florida. Lat Stud 16, 91–112 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41276-017-0108-5

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