Cuban Americans

Before the Louisiana Purchase and the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, Spanish Florida and other possessions of Spain on the Gulf Coast west of the Mississippi River were provinces of the Captaincy General of Cuba. Consequently, Cuban immigration to regions that would eventually form the United States have a long history, beginning in the Spanish colonial period in 1565 when the settlement of St. Augustine was established by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and hundreds of Spanish soldiers and their families moved from Cuba to St. Augustine to establish new lives.

Thousands of Cuban settlers also immigrated to Louisiana between 1778 and 1802 and Texas during the period of Spanish rule. Since 1820, the Cuban presence was more than 1,000 people. In 1870 the number of Cuban immigrants increased to almost 12,000, of which about 4,500 resided in New York City, about 3,000 in New Orleans and 2,000 in Key West. The causes of these movements were both economic and political, which intensified after 1860, when political factors played the predominant role in emigration, as a result of deteriorating relations with the Spanish metropolis.

1869 marked the beginning of one of the most significant periods of emigration from Cuba to the United States, again centered on Key West. The exodus of hundreds of workers and businessmen was linked to the manufacture of tobacco. The reasons are many: the introduction of more modern techniques of elaboration of snuff, the most direct access to its main market, the United States, the uncertainty about the future of the island, which had suffered years of economic, political and social unrest during the beginning of the Ten Years' War against Spanish rule. It was an exodus of skilled workers, precisely the class in the island that had succeeded in establishing a free labor sector amid a slave economy.

The manufacture of snuff by the Cuban labor force, became the most important source of income for Key West between 1869 and 1900.

Tampa was added to such efforts, with a strong migration of Cubans, which went from 720 inhabitants in 1880 to 5,532 in 1890. However, the second half of the 1890s marked the decline of the Cuban immigrant population, as an important part of it returned to the island to fight for independence. The War accentuated Cuban immigrant integration into American society, whose numbers were significant: more than 12,000 people.[13]

Statue of Jose Martí at the Circulo Cubano (Cuban Club), Ybor City

In the mid- to late 19th century, several cigar manufacturers moved their operations to Key West to get away from growing laboral and political problems.[14] Many Cuban cigar workers followed. The Cuban government had even established a grammar school in Key West to help preserve Cuban culture. There, children learned folk songs and patriotic hymns such as "La Bayamesa", the Cuban national anthem.

In 1885, Vicente Martinez Ybor moved his cigar operations from Key West to the town of Tampa, Florida to escape labor strife. Ybor City was designed as a modified company town, and it quickly attracted thousands of Cuban workers from Key West and Cuba. West Tampa, another new cigar manufacturing community, was founded nearby in 1892 and also grew quickly. Between these communities, the Tampa Bay area's Cuban population grew from almost nothing to the largest in Florida in just over a decade, and the city as a whole grew from a village of approximately 1000 residents in 1885 to over 16,000 by 1900.

Both Ybor City and West Tampa were instrumental in Cuba's eventual independence.[15] Inspired by revolutionaries such as Jose Martí, who visited Florida several times, Tampa-area Cubans and their sympathetic neighbors donated money, equipment, and sometimes their lives to the cause of Cuba Libre.[16] After the Spanish–American War, some Cubans returned to their native land, but many chose to stay in the U.S. due to the physical and economic devastation caused by years of fighting on the island.[17]

Several other small waves of Cuban emigration to the U.S. occurred in the early 20th century (1900–1959). Most settled in Florida and the northeast U.S. The majority of an estimated 100,000 Cubans arriving in that time period usually came for economic reasons (the Great Depression of 1929, volatile sugar prices and migrant farm labor contracts), but included anti-Batista refugees fleeing the military dictatorship, which had pro-U.S. diplomatic ties. During the '20s and '30s, emigration from Cuba to U.S. territory, basically comprised workers looking for jobs, mainly in New York and New Jersey. They were classified as labor migrants and workers, much like other immigrants in the area at that time. Thus migrated more than 40,149 in the first decade, encouraged by U.S. immigration facilities at the time and more than 43,400 by the end of the 30s.

Subsequently, the flow of Cubans to the United States fluctuated, due to both the domestic situation in the 40s and 50s in Cuba, and U.S. immigration policies, plus intermittent anti-immigrant sentiment. Cuban Migration in those years included, in addition to workers, a small mass of the population who could afford to leave the country and live abroad. The U.S. was considered a favored destination by the Cuban bourgeoisie and the middle classes of society, to send their children to school, take vacations and bring some of their capital to establish small and medium-sized businesses.

The Cuban population officially registered in the United States for 1958 was around 125,000 people including descendants. Of these, more than 50,000 remained in the United States after the revolution of 1959.[13]

After the Cuban revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959, a Cuban exodus began as the new government allied itself with the Soviet Union and began to introduce communism. The first Cubans to come to America after the revolution were those affiliated with former dictator Fulgencio Batista, next were Cuba's professionals. Most Cuban Americans that arrived in the United States initially came from Cuba's educated upper and middle classes centered in Cuba's capital Havana. This middle class arose in the period after the Platt Amendment when Cuba became one of the most successful countries in Latin America. Between December 1960 and October 1962 more than 14,000 Cuban children arrived alone in the U.S. Their parents were afraid that their children were going to be sent to some Soviet bloc countries to be educated and they decided to send them to the States as soon as possible.

This program was called Operation Peter Pan (Operacion Pedro Pan). When the children arrived in Miami they were met by representatives of Catholic Charities and they were sent to live with relatives if they had any or were sent to foster homes, orphanages or boarding schools until their parents could leave Cuba. From 1965 to 1973, there was another wave of immigration known as the Freedom Flights. In order to provide aid to recently arrived Cuban immigrants, the United States Congress passed the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966. The Cuban Refugee Program provided more than $1.3 billion of direct financial assistance. They also were eligible for public assistance, Medicare, free English courses, scholarships and low-interest college loans.

Some banks pioneered loans for exiles who did not have collateral or credit but received help in getting a business loan. These loans enabled many Cuban Americans to secure funds and start up their own businesses. With their Cuban-owned businesses and low cost of living, Miami, Florida and Union City, New Jersey (dubbed Havana on the Hudson)[18][19] were the preferred destinations for many immigrants and soon became the main centers for Cuban-American culture. According to author Lisandro Perez, Miami was not particularly attractive to Cubans prior to the 1960s.[20]

It was not until the exodus of the Cuban exiles in 1959 that Miami started to become a preferred destination. Westchester within Miami-Dade County, was the area most densely populated by Cubans and Cuban Americans in the United States, followed by Hialeah in second.[21]

Communities like Miami, Tampa and Union City, which Cuban Americans have made their home, have experienced a profound cultural impact as a result, as seen in such aspects of their local culture as cuisine, fashion, music, entertainment and cigar-making.[22][23]

Another large wave (an estimated 125,000 people) of Cuban immigration occurred in the early 1980s with the Mariel boatlifts. Most of the "Marielitos" were people wanting to escape from economic stagnation.

Fidel Castro sent some 20,000 criminals directly from Cuban prisons, as well as mentally ill persons from Cuban mental institutions, with the alleged double purpose of cleaning up Cuban society and poisoning the USA. Those people were labeled "inadmissible" by the US government, and with time, through many negotiations, have been returned to Cuba.

Since the mid-1990s, after the implementation of the "Wet feet, dry feet" policy immigration patterns changed. Many Cuban immigrants departed from the southern and western coasts of Cuba and arrived at the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico; many landed on Isla Mujeres. From there Cuban immigrants traveled to the Texas-Mexico border and found asylum. Many of the Cubans who did not have family in Miami settled in Houston; this has caused Houston's Cuban-American community to increase in size. The term "dusty foot" refers to Cubans emigrating to the U.S. through Mexico. In 2005 the Department of Homeland Security had abandoned the approach of detaining every dry foot Cuban who crosses through Texas and began a policy allowing most Cubans to obtain immediate parole.[24]

Jorge Ferragut, a Cuban immigrant who founded Casa Cuba, an agency that assists Cuban immigrants arriving in Texas, said in a 2008 article that many Cuban immigrants of the first decade of the 21st century left due to economic instead of political issues.[25] By October 2008 Mexico and Cuba created an agreement to prevent immigration of Cubans through Mexico.[26][27]

In recent years, Puerto Rico has become a major drop-off point for Cubans trying to reach the United States illegally. As a U.S. Commonwealth, Puerto Rico is seen as a stepping stone for Cubans trying to get to the continental U.S., though Puerto Rico itself is home to a number of Cubans.[28]

The ancestry of Cuban Americans is primarily from Spaniards and Africans,[36] as well as more distant ancestry from among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and those of Florida. During the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th century, there were waves of Spanish immigration to Cuba (Castilians, Basques, Canarians, Catalans, Andalusians, Asturians and Galicians). Canarians immigrated to many countries along the Caribbean from Louisiana to Venezuela. But Cuba was the Latin American culture most influenced by the emigration of Canary Islanders (they developed the production of sugar in Cuba), and Cuban Spanish is closest to that of the Canary Islands. Canary Islanders were viewed by other Spanish-Cubans as superstitious but also hard-working. Some of Haiti's white population (French) migrated to Cuba after the Haitian War of Independence in the early 18th century. Also, minor but significant ethnic influx is derived from diverse peoples from Middle East places such as Lebanon and Palestine.

There was also a significant influx of Jews, especially between the World Wars, from many countries, including Sephardi Jews from Turkey and Ashkenazi Jews from Poland, Germany and Russia. Other Europeans that have contributed include Britons, Italians, Germans, Swedes and Hungarians. Many Chinese also arrived in Cuba as indentured laborers and they formerly boasted the largest Chinatown in Western Hemisphere as most Chinese Cubans left for Florida.

The largest populations of Cubans are situated in the following metropolitan areas (Source: Census 2010):[12]

1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL MSA – 982,758
2. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA-CT MSA – 135,391
3. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MSA – 81,542
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA – 49,702
5. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL MSA – 36,724
6. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA – 20,633
7. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA – 20,569
8. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA – 19,130
9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA MSA – 17,648
10. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA – 14,527

Cubans in the US, 2000 census

The top 25 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Cuban ancestry are (all of which are in Florida while the top 22 are in Miami-Dade County):

1. Hialeah, Florida 80%
2. Westchester, Florida 78%
3. Coral Terrace, Florida 76.7%
4. West Miami, Florida 75.9%
5. University Park, Florida 73.9%
6. Olympia Heights, Florida 72.9%
7. Tamiami, Florida 71.1%
8. Hialeah Gardens, Florida 70%
9. Medley, Florida 68.9%
10. Sweetwater, Florida 65%
11. Palm Springs North, Florida 64.2%
12. Miami Lakes, Florida 62.2%
13. Kendale Lakes, Florida 60.9%
14. Fontainebleau, Florida 56.4%
15. Miami, Florida 52%
16. Miami Springs, Florida 45%
17. Richmond West, Florida 41%
18. Coral Gables, Florida 38.2%
19. Virginia Gardens, Florida 32.1%
20. South Miami Heights, Florida 31.70%
21. Kendall, Florida 31%
22. Miami Beach, Florida 30%
23. Ybor City, Florida 28.2%
24. West Tampa, Florida 28.1%
25. Surfside, Florida 20.15%

For total 101 communities, see the reference given. Top 20 U.S. communities with the most residents born in Cuba are (all of which are located within the Miami Florida area):[41]

1. Westchester, Florida 55.8%
2. Hialeah, Florida 53.5%
3. Coral Terrace, Florida 51.9%
4. West Miami, Florida 50.5%
5. South Westside, FL 48.3%[42]
6. University Park, Florida 48.1%
7. Hialeah Gardens, Florida 47.5%
8. Medley, Florida 46.0%
9. Tamiami, Florida 45.7%
10. Olympia Heights, Florida 45.2%
11. Sweetwater, Florida 45.2%
12. Westwood Lakes, Florida 44.9%
13. Sunset, Florida 32.7%
14. Fountainbleau, Florida 32.3%
15. North Westside, FL 30.4%[43]
16. Miami, Florida 30.3%
17. Miami Lakes, Florida 30.1%
18. Palm Springs North, Florida 29.8%
19. Kendale Lakes, Florida 28.9%
20. Kendale Lakes-Lindgren Acres, FL 24.3%[44]

According to the 2015-2019 American Community Survey, there were 1,289,900 immigrants from Cuba in the US,[45] the top counties of residence being:

1. Miami-Dade, Florida - 697,900
2. Broward, Florida - 60,400
3. Hillsborough, Florida - 58,000
4. Palm Beach, Florida - 36,100
5. Harris, Texas - 24,900
6. Lee, Florida - 23,700
7. Collier, Florida - 19,300
8. Clark, Nevada - 19,300
9. Orange, Florida - 19,100
10. Hudson, New Jersey - 18,100
11. Los Angeles, California - 17,300
12. Jefferson, Kentucky - 10,000
13. Union, New Jersey - 6,600
14. Maricopa, Arizona - 6,300
15. Bergen, New Jersey - 6,000

The Bay of Pigs Memorial in Little Havana, Miami

Many Cuban Americans have assimilated themselves into the American culture, which includes Cuban influences.

Cuban Americans live in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, which received thousands of anti-Castro refugees as well in the 1960s. Since the 1980s, Cuban Americans have moved out of "Little Havana" and "Hialeah" to the suburbs of Miami, such as Kendall, as well in the more affluent Coral Gables and Miami Lakes. Many new South and Central Americans, along with new Cuban refugees, have replaced the Cuban Americans who have relocated elsewhere in Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa Bay and West Palm Beach) and dispersed throughout the nation. Nevertheless, Cubans are still heavily concentrated in Florida, which slows assimilation; according to the 2010 Census, 68% of Cuban Americans still live in Florida.

More recently, there has been substantial growth of new Cuban American communities in places like Louisville, Kentucky, the Research Triangle area of North Carolina,[46] Katy, Texas, and Downey, California; the latter city now has the second-highest percentage of Cubans and Cuban Americans in the Western United States at 1.96% of the population.[21]

Cuban Americans have been very successful in establishing businesses and developing political clout in Miami. Cuban Americans have also contributed to and participated in many areas of American life including academia, business, acting, politics, and literature.[47] [48]

In the last 15 years, due to the growth of interest around the world for genealogy, Cuban genealogy has become a major interest for Cuban Americans and a growing segment in the family research industry. This has complemented assimilation by preserving Cuban and colonial roots, while also adopting American culture and value.[49]

Cuban Americans are mostly Roman Catholic, but some Cubans practice African traditional religions (such as Santería or Ifá), which evolved from mixing the Catholic religion with the traditional African religion. Cuban Catholicism was also influenced by the Catholicism practiced by the Canarian people. However, there are many Protestant (primarily Pentecostal) with small numbers of syncretist, nonreligious or tiny communities of Jewish and Muslim Cuban Americans. The Protestant movement in Cuba started after the Spanish–American War when many Americans came to Cuba.

Similar to the 67% of other Latinos, 69% of Cubans under 18 speak a language other than English at home. For Cubans over the age of 18, the percent speaking a language other than English at home climbs to 89%, which is higher than the 80% among other Latino groups.[50]

Only 12% of Cubans under the age of 18 speak English less than very well, which is much lower than the 20% among other Latino groups.[50] While roughly half of all Cuban-Americans indicate that they feel more proficient in Spanish, around 60% of all Cuban-Americans do speak English proficiently.[51] 36% of all Cuban-Americans consider themselves bilingual.[51] The choice of many Cuban-Americans to utilize Spanish in the home connects to the desire of Cuban-Americans to retain their ethnic heritage. While many Cuban-Americans are open to some assimilation into American culture, ultimately they still consider themselves a unique group of people who bear their own traditions and perspectives.[51]

A Cuban sandwich

Cuban food is varied, though rice is a staple and commonly served at lunch and dinner. Other common dishes are arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), pan con bistec (steak sandwich), platanos maduros (sweet plantains), lechon asado (pork), yuca (cassava root), flan, batido de mamey (mamey milkshake), papayas and guava paste.

A common lunch staple is the Cuban sandwich (sometimes called a mixto sandwich), which is built on Cuban bread and was created and standardized among cigar workers who traveled between Cuba and Florida (especially Ybor City) around the turn of the 20th century.[52][53][54]

Cuban versions of pizza contain bread, which is usually soft, and cheese, toppings, and sauce, which is made with spices such as Adobo and Goya onion. Picadillo, ground beef that has been sautéed with tomato, green peppers, green olives, and garlic is another popular Cuban dish. It can be served with black beans and rice, and a side of deep-fried, ripened plantains.

Cuban coffee is popular in the Cuban-American community. Cubans often drink cafe cubano: a small cup of coffee called a cafecito (or a colada), which is traditional espresso coffee, sweetened with sugar, with a little foam on top called espumita. It is also popular to add milk, which is called a cortadito for a small cup or a cafe con leche for a larger cup.

A common soft drink is Materva, a Cuban soda made of yerba mate. Jupiña, Ironbeer and Cawy lemon-lime are soft drinks that originated in Cuba. Since the Castro era, they are also produced in Miami. Other famous Cuban drinks include guarapo de caña.

A popular drink of Cuban origin is the Cuba Libre, a mix of Cuban rum and cola, usually Coca-Cola and mojitos.

Among U.S.-born Cuban Americans, 36% have a college degree or higher, compared to 30% for the overall U.S. population. Of foreign-born Cuban Americans, 27% have a college degree. This is higher than the U.S. Latino population (14%) but lower than that of the overall U.S. population.[67] According to the Pew Research Center, Cuban-Americans 25 or older who emigrated to the United States after 1990 have the highest graduation rate, at 26%.[68] According to this same data, Cuban-Americans 25 or older who entered the United States before 1980 had a graduation rate of 24%, while those entering between 1980 and 1990 had a graduation rate of 13%.[68] The decline in graduation rate from 1980 to 1990 can in part be attributed to the presence of Afro-Cubans among immigrants, who generally favor more poorly in multiple areas due to systemic inequalities in Cuba.[51] Almost half of all Cuban-Americans have at least a high school diploma.[68]

Ten Cuban Americans currently serve in the United States Congress. There have been eleven Cuban-American US representatives elected from Florida, two from New Jersey and New York, and one each from Texas, Ohio and West Virginia.

• 
  *Marco Rubio, U.S Senator from Florida (2011–present)
• 
  *Ted Cruz, U.S Senator from Texas (2013–present)
• 
  *Bob Menendez, U.S Senator from New Jersey (2006–present)
• 
  *Maria Elvira Salazar, Congresswoman from Florida's 27th Congressional District (2021–present)
• 
  *Carlos A. Gimenez, Congressman from Florida's 26th Congressional District (2021–present)
• 
  *Albio Sires, Congressman from New Jersey's 13th Congressional District (2006-2013), and 8th Congressional District (2013–present)

Three United States Senators:

• Ted Cruz, Republican, Texas (2013–present)
• Bob Menendez, Democrat, New Jersey (2006–present), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 13th district (1993–2006)
• Marco Rubio, Republican, Florida, (2011–present)

Seven are United States Representatives:

• Mario Díaz-Balart, Republican, Florida's 21st congressional district (2011-2013), and Florida's 25th congressional district (2003-2011) (2013–present)
• Anthony Gonzalez, Republican, Ohio's 16th District (2019–present) [69]
• Alex Mooney, Republican, West Virginia's 2nd district (2015–present)
• Albio Sires, Democrat, New Jersey's 13th congressional district (2006–2013), and New Jersey's 8th congressional district (2013–present)
• Maria Elvira Salazar, Republican, Congresswoman from Florida's 27th Congressional District (2021–present)
• Carlos A. Gimenez, Republican, Congressman from Florida's 26th Congressional District (2021–present)
• Nicole Malliotakis, Republican, Congresswoman from New York's 11th Congressional District (2021–present)

Former Congressmen:

• Carlos Curbelo, Republican, Florida's 26th district (2015–2019)
• Lincoln Díaz-Balart, Republican, Miami, U.S House of Representatives (1993–2011)
• Joe Garcia, Democrat, Florida's 26th congressional district (2013–15)
• Mel Martínez, Republican, U.S Senator from Florida (2005–09)
• David Rivera, Republican, Miami, U.S House of Representatives (2011–13)
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican, Florida's 27th congressional district (1989–2019), first Cuban-American elected to Congress

Cuban Americans have had much success at the state level. In Florida, where Cuban-American legislators hold more seats than anywhere else in the nation, pro-democracy, anti-Castro, and anti-Chavez legislation is often promoted and passed even though states cannot dictate foreign policy. Even in states where Cuban Americans are not concentrated in large numbers they have had successes especially in New Jersey, where albeit a tiny minority concentrated in Union City, Elizabeth, and Newark, they have had enormous political successes.

• 
  Lieutenant Governor of Florida Carlos Lopez-Cantera (2014-2019)
• 
  Jeanette Nunez, Lieutenant Governor of Florida (2019–Present)
• 
  U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 16th district Anthony Gonzalez (2019–Present)
• 
  Florida Supreme Court Justice John Couriel (2020–Present)
• 
  Florida State Senator Ana Maria Rodriguez (2020–Present)

In Florida:

• Frank Artiles, Republican, former Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 118th district
• José Félix Díaz, Republican, former Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 116th district
• Manny Díaz, Jr., Republican, Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 103rd district
• Miguel Díaz de la Portilla, former Republican, Member of the Florida Senate from the 40th district
• Anitere Flores, Republican, former Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district
• Erik Fresen, Republican, Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 114th district
• Ileana Garcia, Republican, Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district (2020–Present)
• René García, Republican, Member of the Florida Senate from the 38th district
• Eduardo Gonzalez, Republican, Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 111th
• Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Republican, former Lieutenant Governor of Florida, (2014–2019)
• Jeanette Núñez, Republican, Lieutenant Governor of Florida, (2019–present), Former Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 119th district
• José R. Oliva, Republican, Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 110th district
• Ana Maria Rodriguez, Republican, Member of the Florida Senate from the 39th district (2020–Present)
• José Javier Rodríguez, Democrat, Member of the Florida Senate from the 37th district (2016-2020), House of Representatives from the 112th district (2012-2016)
• Mike La Rosa, Republican, Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 42nd district
• Carlos Trujillo, Republican, Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 105th district

In New Hampshire:

• John H. Sununu, Republican, Governor of New Hampshire, (1983–1989)
• Christopher T. Sununu, Republican, Governor of New Hampshire, (2017–present)

In New Jersey:

• Marlene Caride. Democrat, New Jersey
• Carmelo Garcia, Democrat, New Jersey
• Angelica Jimenez, Democrat, Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 32nd Legislative District (2012–present)
• Vincent Prieto, Democrat, Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly (2014–present), Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 32nd Legislative District (2004–present)

In New York:

• Nicole Malliotakis, Republican, Staten Island, Member of the New York General Assembly from the 64th district

In Connecticut:

• Art Linares, Republican, Westbrook, Member of the Connecticut State Senate from the 33rd district

In Nevada:

• Moises "Mo" Denis, Democrat, Member of the Nevada Senate from the 2nd district

In Virginia:

• Jason Miyares, Republican, Virginia Beach, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 82nd district and Attorney General of Virginia (2022–present)

Eduardo Aguirre (R) served as Vice Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in the George W. Bush administration and later named Director of Immigration and Naturalization Services under the Department of Homeland Security. In 2006, Eduardo Aguirre was named US ambassador to Spain. Cuban Americans have also served other high-profile government jobs including White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu (R) Mauricio Claver-Carone serves as the President of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Florida-based businessman and Cuban exile Elviro Sanchez made his multimillion-dollar fortune by investing the proceeds of his family's fruit plantations. He is one of the most low-profile philanthropists in the Southern States.

Judicial positions:

• Danny Boggs is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1986–present)
• Barbara Lagoa is currently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (2019–present)
• Jorge Labarga is currently a judge on the Florida Supreme Court (2009–present)
• John D. Couriel is currently a judge on the Florida Supreme Court (2020–present)
• Raoul G. Cantero, III, served as a justice on the Florida Supreme Court. (2002–2008)

• 
  José Martí
• 
  José Raúl Capablanca
• 
  Carlos Finlay
• 
  Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg
• 
  Consuelo Montagu, Duchess of Manchester
• 
  Richard Blanco
• 
  Alfred-Maurice de Zayas
• 
  Oscar Hijuelos
• 
  Ambrosio José Gonzales
• 
  Alicia Alonso
• 
  Calixto García
• 
  Alejandro Mayorkas

• 
  Desi Arnaz
• 
  Mel Ferrer
• 
  Andy García
• 
  Eva Mendes
• 
  Cameron Diaz
• 
  Cesar Romero
• 
  JoAnna Garcia
• 
  Gina Torres
• 
  Bella Thorne
• 
  William Levy
• 
  Christina Milian
• 
  César Évora
• 
  Enrique Murciano
• 
  Néstor Carbonell
• 
  Danny Pino
• 
  Marilyn Milian
• 
  Ana de Armas
• 
  David Gallagher
• 
  Cristina Saralegui
• 
  Raúl De Molina
• 
  Lili Estefan
• 
  Raúl Esparza
• 
  Daisy Fuentes

• 
  Celia Cruz
• 
  Gloria Estefan
• 
  Camila Cabello
• 
  Arturo Sandoval
• 
  Emilio Estefan
• 
  Sammy Davis Jr.
• 
  Pitbull
• 
  B-Real
• 
  Willy Chirino
• 
  Ernesto Lecuona
• 
  Bebo Valdés
• 
  Cris Cab
• 
  Jencarlos Canela
• 
  Fat Joe
• 
  Olga Guillot
• 
  Jon Secada
• 
  Paquito D'Rivera
• 
  Sen Dog

• 
  Al Montoya
• 
  Dara Torres
• 
  Ryan Lochte
• 
  Amy Rodriguez
• 
  Kiko Alonso
• 
  Tino Martinez
• 
  Luis Gonzalez
• 
  Dolf Luque
• 
  Aric Almirola
• 
  Willy Miranda
• 
  Reggie Otero
• 
  J. D. Martinez
• 
  Bronson Arroyo
• 
  Aroldis Chapman
• 
  Brook Lopez
• 
  Robin Lopez
• 
  John Carlos
• 
  Monica Puig
• 
  Luis Tiant
• 
  J. P. Arencibia
• 
  Alex Avila
• 
  Frank Mir
• 
  Jose Canseco
• 
  Tony Pérez
• 
  Yoenis Céspedes
• 
  José Fernández
• 
  Orlando Hernández
• 
  Liván Hernández
• 
  Jorge Posada