Eckstein’s “Cuban Privilege” & U.S. Immigration Policy Explored in “Washington Post” Op-Ed
A new Washington Post op-ed by contributing columnist Lizette Alvarez discusses unique entitlements given to Cuban immigrants by the United States government, heavily referencing Cuban Privilege: The Making of Immigrant Inequality in America, the latest book by Susan Eckstein, Professor of International Relations and Sociology at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.
The article, titled “Why does U.S. policy still favor Cuban migrants? Others are plenty deserving, too,” echoes observations made in Eckstein’s book on the unique rights that Cuban immigrants receive and questions why these are not applied to others as well. Eckstein’s book, which explores United States-Cuban immigration policies, their origins, their evolution over the years, and their consequences, recently came under fire with critics to dismissing her description of “privilege” as “woke” and politically motivated. Alvarez calls on fellow Cuban Americans to lead by example and demand that migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Honduras, and other nations be given the same opportunities that the U.S. government has given Cubans.
The full article can be read on The Washington Post‘s website.
Susan Eckstein, Professor of International Relations and Sociology at the Pardee School, focuses her research on Latin America and Latin American immigration. She has written extensively on Mexico, Cuba, and Bolivia, and, in recent years, on immigration and its impact across borders, as well as on U.S. immigration policy. She has written and edited books on the urban poor, the impacts of revolutions, social movements, and social rights. On Cuba, her books have focused on the impact of the Castro-led revolution, on Cuban immigrants, and on U.S. Cuban immigration policy. She is the recipient of many fellowships, including from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, as well as awards for her writings. Learn more about Professor Eckstein on her faculty profile.