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Map of Where Dominicans Live
A Brief Background: How and Why They Come?
Dominicans are currently the largest immigrating group in New York City. According to the 2000 census, there were 369,186 foreign born Dominicans in the city. However, unlike the Irish, Jews, Italians, and many other European groups, Dominican immigration did not start until the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo for 30 years. Although the United States attempted to clear up the country’s previous financial issues as well as tried to put in a functional democratic government, the plan failed after their occupation ended. Trujillo used intimidation techniques to win 95% of the vote in the election, and so his reign began. His years in office, also known as The Era of Trujillo, were characterized by repression of human rights, and rapid economic development, which basically benefitted only him personally. Over the years, he created and expanded significantly the intelligence agencies in the country, mostly in order to spy on Dominican citizens themselves. By the end of 1950s, the economy began to deteriorate, due in large part to corruption, mismanagement, overspending and poor investment choices by Trujillo. On May 30th, 1961, Trujillo was assassinated with the aid of the CIA because they feared a Communist revolution.
The post-Trujillo Era was riddled with problems as well. The following elected president, Juan Bosch, was overthrown by a right-wing military coup. Also, the economy began to plummet. This is where Dominican emigration to New York City began.
Dominicans immigrated to the states mainly for economic and political reasons. The US government helped by opening doors to these Dominican immigrants, providing them with a more stable environment with more opportunities. Eventually, once Dominicans settled down and established a substantial community in New York, they were able to bring their family as well through the family reunification visas.
--Yuriy Minchuk