Sergio Díaz-Briquets, Casals and Associates

[1] Between 1982 and 1992, the average annual number of Cuban nationals admitted as immigrants was 15,504 (U.S. Immigration and Nationalization Service, 1992 Statistical Yearbook, Washington, D.C., 1993, Table 3, p.31). This figure, however, does not reflect the actual number of U.S. arrivals, since it includes the adjustment to resident status of many Cubans who arrived in the United States through the Mariel sealift, especially in 1985 (20,334 immigrants admitted), 1986 (33,114), and 1987 (28,916. The immigrants admitted data also ignore those Cubans entering as non-immigrants but overstaying their visas, without inspection (crossing an international border surreptitiously), or by sea (e.g. rafters). But even when allowing for these arrivals, the annual number of Cubans entering the United States during the 1980s and early 1990s has been much lower than during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This applies today as well although the number of Cubans escaping by sea or through third countries has mushroomed since 1989. Back to Text

[2] The demographic and socioeconomic profile is based on data from the 1990 U.S. census shown in the appendix tables. For comparative purposes, the appendix tables also present data for selected U.S. subpopulations Back to Text