MIAMI, United States. — Although the state of Florida has historically welcomed the bulk of Cuban emigration to the United States, in recent decades the presence of the island’s nationals has spread to other areas of the northern country.
One of the states that has begun to receive Cuban migrants is Arizona. the digital portal Azcentral points out that several thousand Cubans fleeing the political and economic crisis in the Caribbean nation have arrived in the Phoenix area in recent months.
As this newspaper has been able to verify through interviews with a dozen recent Cuban immigrants, resettlement officials and state data, it is a phenomenon that began a few decades ago and has gained strength as a result of the most recent mass exodus, product of the which more than 300,000 Cubans have arrived in the United States.
Arizona is one of the border states with Mexico, which makes it easier for many Cubans who arrive in the US irregularly to end up being received by compatriots who reside there.
“As a result, growing numbers of Cubans are settling in cities like Phoenix, where many are joining friends or family who arrived in earlier waves, and the cost of living is comparatively more affordable and jobs are easier to come by.” Azcentral stands out, which has collected statements from some of them, as well as from people linked to charitable institutions.
“What we are seeing are people fleeing Cuba primarily to join their family in Phoenix or other areas where their family lives,” Joanne Morales, director of refugee programs for Catholic Charities, told the outlet.
According to Migration Policy Institutean independent, nonpartisan think tank established in 2001, in addition to the Phoenix area, the Las Vegas, Louisville, and Houston areas are also relocating an increasing number of Cubans coming to the United States.
