古裔美人之政治取向(political attachment)可由利益團體的立場、選舉參與、對貿易禁運政策之看法得知,而分為族裔政治(ethnic politics)或流亡政治(exile politics)。前者代表移民對祖國事務不關心,而專注於其在接收國之生活;後者則完全相反。故古裔美人之政治表現明顯偏向後者,尤其貿易禁運政策之持續,取決於美國總統選舉的古裔選票考量。但其政治參與之阻礙,可能改變其政治取向和表現。簡言之,古裔美人影響美國對古巴之外交政策,但其優勢面臨縮小的局面。 Ethnic groups affect the U.S. politics. The most influential one among Hispanic Americans is Cuban Americans even though the number of population is far less than Mexican and Puerto Rican Americans. Their political influence is accurate due to the over-forty-year U.S. trade embargo policy resulting in the interest group’s lobbying. This thesis expects to find out the Cuban-American political attachment and performance according to the immigration history, such as, the migration motives, the destination choice, the receiving country’s feedback and the ethnic characteristics and magnetism. And it focuses on the connection between the ethnic economic performance and the political participation.
Portes’ Ethnic Enclave Economy Theory indicates the positive effects on social mobility from the ethnic enclave because of the divisions of labor and the entrepreneurial skills that facilitate the self-employment. The ethnic enclave benefits the Cuban-American political participation.
The Cuban-American political attachment relates to the immigration history. The migration motive of the Cuban immigration before and after 1980 is due to the political and the economic factors. Referring to the destination choice, it has causes of the U.S. colonization and intervention in Cuban history. And the U.S. attitudes toward the refugees from the communist countries after World War II are positive. It also offers Cubans the right to obtain the legal permanent residence status. Both of them create a favorable circumstance for political participation. Moreover, over half of Cubans residing in Miami, Florida increase the mobility of Latin American trade and immigrants and the political influence.
The Cuban-American political attachment divides into the ethnic politics or the exile politics by understanding the position of the interest group, the electoral participation and the debate on the trade embargo policy. The former one implies the immigrants concern with own welfare instead of home country’s affairs; the latter one shows the opposite situation. The Cuban-American political attachment reveals the tendency of the latter one according to the continuity of U.S. trade embargo policy. The Cuban votes determine the U.S. presidential elections.
However, Cubans confront barriers of political representation, which may reduce the influence on political attachment and performance. In short, Cuban Americans affect the U.S.-Cuban relations but the effect will no longer be the same.