Pre-1960s

From From the Island to the City: Dominican Communities in New York City

Contents 1 Pre 1960s 2 1965 Immigration Law 3 "Crack Epidemic" 4 1990s to Present 5 References

Pre 1960s

From 1930 until 1961 the Dominican Republic was run by the military dictator Rafael Trujillo. Under his leadership the Dominican economy remained closed to free trade policies and Dominican emigration was severely limited, although infrastructure was improved (United Nations). After Trujillo’s assassination in 1961 and democratic elections in 1962, Juan Bosch of the leftist Dominican Revolutionary Party assumed presidency and returned the country to democracy. However, he was removed through miltary coup, which led to United States invasion of Dominican Republic.

1965 Immigration Law

The Dominican immgration to the United States escalated greatly during and after the 1960s. This is probably be a result of the passage of the Immigration Law of 1965 that allowed for large number of immigrants to come and live in the U.S. This helped countless families reunite and also allowed families to bring over as many members to this nation as desired. Dominicans, like many other immigrant, utilized this law to their benifit. This also was a relief for most Dominicans because they was facing "the political and economic problems that have plagued the DR, and the constant U.S. involvement in Dominican affairs- starting with a U.S. sponsored coup in 1963 and eventual U.S. occupation in 1965". (Graham, 1996; Pedraza, 1999)

"Crack Epidemic"

1990s to Present

References

Graham, Pamela M. (1996): “Re-imagining the Nation and Defining the District: The Simultaneous Political Inforporation of Dominican Transnational Migrants”, 1996 Dissertation, University of North Carolina

Pedraza, Silvia (1999): “Assimilation or Diasporic Citizenship”, in Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 28, No. 4, July 1999, pp. 377-381

United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW). Dominican Migration to USA. 2008. http://www.un-instraw.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=338&lang=en&task=view&Itemid=449