Miami vs Spain: the migrant profiles reshaping neighborhoods
A forum debates the differing profiles of Latin migrants heading to Miami and Spain, citing the Cuban elite as an example and an unverified figure for emigration to Cuba.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Miami and Spain do not receive the same Latin American migrant
At Guayaquil airport, according to an account circulating on a Spanish economic forum, workers wearing gloves and face masks sort travelers into two lines: those with lighter antiestéticatures toward Miami, those with darker skin toward Madrid. The image is a caricature, but it sums up a thesis running through much of the discussion: the profile of the Latin American migrant arriving in the United States is nothing like the one landing in Spain. The thread starts from a travel piece about southern Florida describing an international atmosphere, with mostly Colombian attendees at a sporting event, and a sense of safety very different from that of other cities.
Who goes to Miami and who goes to Spain
The most frequently repeated argument is that Miami is home to the Cuban elite that left the island after Castro came to power, with a European ancestry component that several participants put at around two thirds of the Cuban population at the time. Names like Gloria Estefan, Andy García and Cameron Diaz are cited as examples of that profile. Against this, it is argued that Spain receives mostly migrants of Andean and Central American origin, with a smaller share of that European component.
Some point out that the bulk of Hispanic Americans in Miami are Cuban, and that Ecuadorians are a minority. Others note a shift in the trend: a growing mass of Haitians, Central Americans and Venezuelans is changing that traditional profile. The discussion drifts toward the thesis that Spain, because of its economic structure and welfare system, attracts a less skilled migrant than the one who comes to the United States to work.
The economic argument: handouts versus wages
The explanation carrying the most weight in the conversation is economic. It is claimed that the United States is the better country for working and Spain for living off benefits, which would select different profiles. One participant puts it bluntly: Spain gets the worst of each sending region, just as happens with the Maghreb. Another adds that the country has become "a low-end franchise" attracting the least qualified.
The figure used to illustrate the point is a gross monthly salary of 1,500 euros, not enough to attract a South American professional who would have to share a room.
The dispute over who is Spanish
Much of the exchange turns into an identity debate about descent. One side argues that the children and grandchildren of Spaniards born in America retain Spanish status by blood, citing the 750,000 emigrants who left for Cuba in the middle decades of the 20th century. The other side replies that after generations abroad, with another language, another education and other references, the cultural nationality has been lost.
The disagreement extends to those born in Spain to foreign parents: for some they are not Spanish either, for others they are. The discussion ends without agreement, with mutual accusations of Hispanism and of destroying the country.
The figure that puzzles everyone
Among the figures thrown around, the most baffling is the 750,000 Spaniards who emigrated to Cuba, a calculation one participant attributes to census data and which cannot be verified in the material.
At Guayaquil airport, according to an account circulating on a Spanish economic forum, workers wearing gloves and face masks sort travelers into two lines: those with lighter antiestéticatures toward Miami, those with darker skin toward Madrid. The image is a caricature, but it sums up a thesis running through much of the discussion: the profile of the Latin American migrant arriving in the United States is nothing like the one landing in Spain. The thread starts from a travel piece about southern Florida describing an international atmosphere, with mostly Colombian attendees at a sporting event, and a sense of safety very different from that of other cities.
Who goes to Miami and who goes to Spain
The most frequently repeated argument is that Miami is home to the Cuban elite that left the island after Castro came to power, with a European ancestry component that several participants put at around two thirds of the Cuban population at the time. Names like Gloria Estefan, Andy García and Cameron Diaz are cited as examples of that profile. Against this, it is argued that Spain receives mostly migrants of Andean and Central American origin, with a smaller share of that European component.
Some point out that the bulk of Hispanic Americans in Miami are Cuban, and that Ecuadorians are a minority. Others note a shift in the trend: a growing mass of Haitians, Central Americans and Venezuelans is changing that traditional profile. The discussion drifts toward the thesis that Spain, because of its economic structure and welfare system, attracts a less skilled migrant than the one who comes to the United States to work.
The economic argument: handouts versus wages
The explanation carrying the most weight in the conversation is economic. It is claimed that the United States is the better country for working and Spain for living off benefits, which would select different profiles. One participant puts it bluntly: Spain gets the worst of each sending region, just as happens with the Maghreb. Another adds that the country has become "a low-end franchise" attracting the least qualified.
The figure used to illustrate the point is a gross monthly salary of 1,500 euros, not enough to attract a South American professional who would have to share a room.
The dispute over who is Spanish
Much of the exchange turns into an identity debate about descent. One side argues that the children and grandchildren of Spaniards born in America retain Spanish status by blood, citing the 750,000 emigrants who left for Cuba in the middle decades of the 20th century. The other side replies that after generations abroad, with another language, another education and other references, the cultural nationality has been lost.
The disagreement extends to those born in Spain to foreign parents: for some they are not Spanish either, for others they are. The discussion ends without agreement, with mutual accusations of Hispanism and of destroying the country.
The figure that puzzles everyone
Among the figures thrown around, the most baffling is the 750,000 Spaniards who emigrated to Cuba, a calculation one participant attributes to census data and which cannot be verified in the material.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (79 replies).
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