Caribbean Immigrants and the New United States Immigration Laws:  The Background
        Joyce Toney

    Immigration is one of the most important topics facing the world today. New York City with its long history as a haven for migrants remains one of the largest target areas for new immigrants coming to the United states. Caribbean migrants have had a long relationship with New York.  Beginning at the turn of the twentieth century Caribbean immigrants joined African Americans from the Southern  part of the United States to form a vibrant community in Harlem. Caribbean migration to New York continued at a slower pace after new anti-immigrant laws went into effect in the mid twentieth century.

A change in the laws in 1965 ushered in a new wave of immigrants from the Caribbean.   Those persons who arrived in the United states in the  post Civil Rights period met a society whose institutions were somewhat more accepting  of people of color than had been the case  previously.  Many Caribbean people were able to carve out little niches for themselves in the newly emerging black middle class.  Yet, beyond the cursory glance of an upwardly mobile group there were overarching problems that faced the new immigrants.

The 1996 immigration and welfare bills were indicators of an increasing resentment of immigrants.  These new laws made it more difficult for new immigrants to become citizens, a factor which subsequently denied them benefits to which they were previously entitled.  Although some of these laws were subsequently repealed, the political and economic conditions of the late 1990s demonstrate the insecure situation in which migrants from the Caribbean find themselves.
 
The purpose of the paper is to examine the social, political and economic conditions of Caribbean migrants who live in New York.   It will also discuss some of the constraints of the global economy that drive Caribbean migrants from their homes.  The paper will demonstrate the marginality of the migrants whose future is indelibly linked to a favorable economy in the host society. Furthermore, it will examine the extent to which race and ethnicity have contributed to the debate in Caribbean migration  issues.