Massive influx of Cubans to Louisville, Kentucky, in the last two years

Some 30,000 Cubans have settled in Jefferson County, in Louisville, Kentucky, most of them in the last two years, due to the accelerated deterioration of living conditions on the Island, reports the New York Times.

Cubans "represent the largest immigrant group in Louisville, and their numbers, which continue to increase, have helped offset the population decline in the county of 770,000, (…), as young Americans move to Bigger cities".

According to the newspaper, more than 14,000 Cuban immigrants have arrived directly from the Island to settle in the metropolitan area in the last two years, while the number of those who have moved from Florida and other states in the Union is unknown.

Many of the newcomers are working at companies such as GE Appliances, Amazon and United Parcel Service, which have large operations in the area. Thanks to this influx, entrepreneurs have revitalized shopping centers with new small businesses.

Cubans' reasons for choosing this destination are fundamentally economic, the source suggests, since it is "a landlocked state, with cold and gray winters," so Louisville would seem an unlikely destination for those leaving a tropical nation. .

"Its abundant jobs, its relatively low cost of living and its non-profit agencies that support newcomers are powerful magnets. Not to mention the word of mouth of long-term Cuban residents," the text details.

Word of mouth that works like clockwork: "The numbers have been huge and people keep coming," says Danny Adam, a caseworker at the Kentucky Refugee Ministry, where newly arrived Cubans receive assistance.

Similar to what has happened in Miami and other parts of Florida since 1959, the growing Cuban community is already leaving a cultural mark.

According to him NOW, the island's emigrants "have transformed the city's gastronomic and entertainment scenes."

At "La Bodeguita de Mima", in the trendy NuLu neighborhood, you can savor Cuban specialties such as ropa Vieja, and delight in a cigar-shaped dessert served in a Cuban cigar box, in a luxurious atmosphere reminiscent of Havana. from the 1950s. Opportunities abound to listen to live music and dance salsa almost every night.

Likewise, at the Cash Saver supermarket, shelves display Cuban bread and coffee, malanga "and other items that Cubans crave." Sales "have tripled and staff has increased from three to 15 in the last three years."

Of the American residents consulted, some already offer a positive opinion of the new immigration: "The Cuban community has enriched my life and has brought dynamism to the city," said Debra Wright, a speech therapist, born and raised in Louisville, who attends the dance class for adults taught by a Cuban.

Furthermore, the Cubans interviewed in the report said they had not felt any hostility from the nationals.

The presence of immigrants from the Island in Jefferson County dates back to 1995, the newspaper recalls, after the decision of William Clinton's government to implement a visa lottery and allow the entry of 20,000 Cubans each year.

"Some of the winners, who had no family to welcome them in places like Miami, were funneled to smaller cities: Buffalo, New York; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Louisville."

The sustained arrival of Cubans to Louisville has led the local school district to modify schedules and register new students on Saturdays and Sundays.

"We've never seen this before; no one was prepared," said Berta Weyenberg, coordinator of new multilingual students in the district.

In 2022, they already had 15,000 English learners, and NGOs that teach the language to adults had difficulty enrolling them all.