Essay On Caribbean Immigration

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The group that I have chosen as my target group is Caribbean Immigrants of the United States. I have chosen this target group because I am from the Caribbean. Although I am not an immigrant I know many people who are immigrants and I am the daughter of one. Caribbean immigrants are a very diverse set of people who have migrated to the United States from the Greater or Lesser Antilles. There is close to 40 million people who live in the Caribbean. If you ask someone from the Caribbean, “why did they move from their home country?, Their answer would be “to search for a better life for my family”. What drew me to this population is that I am currently enrolled in Social Work with Diverse Populations and there is not a handout on this group …show more content…

Many of these immigrants are from larger islands such as Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba. Currently, the rate of Caribbean immigrants to the United States has decreased but Caribbean immigrants are still migrating to the United States in large numbers. Caribbean people are well quipped to be U.S Citizens. They become naturalized faster than other groups do and their education level is high. What is interesting is that more than 69% of all Caribbean immigrants live in either Florida or New York (McCabe, 2011). Why are these immigrants not moving to states such as Texas in such great numbers? The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that there are at least 350,000 illegal Caribbean immigrants in the United States (McCabe, 2011). Caribbean culture versus American culture is greatly different. An important way for social workers to be culturally competent is not to ignore language barriers. It should not be assumed that English is always the first language spoken so there should be resources available. Clients should be directed to immigration centers or offered a translator to provide assistance (How to Outreach, …show more content…

Although English is a very common language Caribbean immigrants still come to the U.S and have a very hard time adjusting to the change. They are stereotyped against and not understood. As an advocate of this group I would want to help these immigrants adjust to the United States and educate outsiders about their culture. There are many different cultures that are similar and many of the people migrating to the United States from the Caribbean are older people. It is common to hear that older people are set in their ways so I would try my best to find support groups for this group to become assimilated. In the Caribbean a beaten is as normal as a stroll on the beach. In a situation where I am a social worker assigned to a case such mom from the Caribbean being investigated by Child Protective Services for beating by her child with a “switch” or what is called a “tan tan stick” in the Caribbean. I would try to be as culturally competent as possible and respect my client’s culture while trying to counsel her and get her the resources that she needs. Child abuse and social work is not topics that you hear much of if you live on an island. There is also a shortage of mental health professionals. There are many immigrants that I could’ve chosen to write be my target group. I am drawn to this population and I hope that this group open’s my eyes to things that I have never

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