Katia Yoza-Mitsuishi

According to the 2020 Census, New Brunswick, New Jersey has one of the highest numbers of Latino residents in the state. Latinos are at least 45.7%[1] of the total population in New Brunswick (55,708 people), up from 9.6% in the 1960s, prior to the first wave of Latino immigration from Caribbean nations including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.[2] The main reason for the rapid growth of the Latino population is transnational migration.[3] This term refers to the process of the settlement of migrants in a new country who maintain strong ties with their country of origin through their social, political, and cultural systems.[4]

The first Latino population in New Brunswick arrived in 1948 from Puerto Rico due to an economic crisis caused by a transition from a monocultural plantation economy of sugarcane to manufacturing for export after World War II.[5] Under the “Operation Bootstrap” program, driven by US capital investment in the manufacturing of consumer goods, employment shifted from agriculture in rural areas to manufacturing in cities, which provided fewer job opportunities.[6] Cubans immigrated to New Brunswick in the 1960s seeking to escape the island following Fidel Castro’s revolution. Immigration from the Dominican Republic also started in the 1960s with the assassination of dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, which was assisted by the CIA, and the political repression and economic upheaval that followed. 

By 1980, 80% of the Latino population of New Brunswick was from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, while only a small minority, just 4%, was from Mexico.[7] According to Christine Thurlow Brenner, director of the urban studies program at Rutgers University-Camden, New Jersey’s Latino population has grown more diverse since the 1990s, with new arrivals from Mexico, Central America, and South America arriving in communities that had previously been home to earlier waves of Latino immigration, namely from Cuba and Puerto Rico, who had already transitioned to the middle class.[8] 

The Mexican community in New Brunswick, particularly from the southern state of Oaxaca, grew dramatically in the 1990s and now accounts for the largest Latino population in the city. By 2010, Mexicans represented 47.5% of New Brunswick’s Latino population and 25% of the city’s total population. Comparatively, Dominicans make up 7.5%, Puerto Ricans 5.1%, Hondurans 5.0%, South Americans 2.0%, and other Hispanic or Latino residents are 2.4 % of the total population of New Brunswick.[9] 

Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico. Exacerbated economic crises and exploitive North American trade policies since the 1990s explain the extreme migration growth for Oaxacans to the U.S. over the last thirty years. In 2020, 43.9 % of the Mexican population lived in poverty.[10] Comparatively, in Oaxaca, 63.9 % of the population lived in poverty, with 24.3% of the population living in extreme poverty and 39.6% living in moderate poverty.[11] According to Migration Policy Institute, more than 90% of Oaxacans that migrate stay in Mexico (internal migration), and more than 96% of those who cross borders to the U.S. stay in Los Angeles and Southern California.[12] Only a small percentage come to the Northeast. 

Oaxaca, a state with a high percentage of Mixtec and Zapotec indigenous populations, was negatively affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into force in 1994. NAFTA eliminated most trade barriers on products and services between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.[13] Hundreds of thousands of small farmers were highly affected, as NAFTA prohibited ongoing economic support from the Mexican government that allowed farmers to sell their products at more than the cost of production.[14] For example, Mexican corn without subsidies competed in Mexico’s own market with cheaper corn from big U.S. producers, which the U.S. government had subsidized.[15] This treaty prevented the Mexican government from protecting agricultural products from fluctuations in the world market. During NAFTA’s first year alone, one million Mexicans lost  their jobs following the peso’s devaluation.[16] Under pressure from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and U.S. banks, Mexican economic development policies since the 1990s have given preference to  foreign investment in the country rather than subsidizing basic necessities for most Mexicans.[17] In rural and poor areas like Oaxaca, this treaty cut jobs and increased poverty, which fueled migration to the United States. 

Honduran migration escalated in the late 1990s after hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the 2009 coup d'état. Following orders from the Honduran Supreme Court, the Honduran Army ousted president Manuel Zelaya after his initiative to do a referendum that would rewrite the Constitution. The region's high crime rate and economic inequality also pushed thousands of Hondurans to leave the country. Migrants’ remittances help support Honduras’ economy. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Hondurans are today the largest nationality crossing the U.S. border in search of asylum, totaling more than 200 families a day.[18] Hondurans are also disproportionately affected by U.S. deportations, as almost three-quarters of migrants arrive without legal documentation, according to the Migration Policy Institute.[19]

Recent Latino migrants are contributing to reactivating the economy in New Brunswick, especially around French Street, with small businesses like restaurants and grocery stores. The Esperanza Neighborhood is home to New Brunswick's large Latino population.[20] It has 11,880 residents who are mainly Latino and have low to moderate incomes.[21] The neighborhood name is based on a branding initiative from New Brunswick Tomorrow to revitalize this neighborhood. It has since gone on to be designated by the state to receive annual funding through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit. Some organizations help Latino migrants in New Brunswick like New Brunswick Tomorrow (who serves Esperanza) and Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen (who serves Unity Square).

[1] United States Census Bureau. QuickFacts. New Brunswick city, New Jersey.  https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/newbrunswickcitynewjersey. Accessed June 15, 2022.

[2] Listokin, David, et al. New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America. Rutgers University Press, 2016, pp. 43. Accessed June 18, 2022. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1bw1hjs. 

[3] Listokin, David, et al. New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America. Rutgers University Press, 2016, pp. 56. Accessed June 18, 2022. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1bw1hjs. 

[4] Schiller, Nina Glick, et al. “From Immigrant to Transmigrant: Theorizing Transnational Migration.” Anthropological Quarterly, vol. 68, no. 1, 1995, pp. 48–63. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3317464. Accessed 27 Jun. 2022.

[5] Ayala, César. “The Decline of the Plantation Economy and the Puerto Rican Migration of the 1950s”. Latino Studies Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, 1996, pp. 61-90.

[6] Ayala, César. “The Decline of the Plantation Economy and the Puerto Rican Migration of the 1950s”. Latino Studies Journal, vol. 7, no. 1, 1996, pp. 61-90.

[7] Listokin, David, et al. New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America. Rutgers University Press, 2016, pp. 82. Accessed June 18, 2022. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1bw1hjs.

[8] Star-Ledger Staff. NJ.com. New census data shows N.J.'s population grew most in southern counties, became more racially diverse. February 4, 2021. https://www.nj.com/news/2011/02/njs_population_grew_most_in_so.html

[9]  Listokin, David, et al. New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America. Rutgers University Press, 2016, pp. 61. Accessed June 18, 2022. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1bw1hjs. 

[10] Li Ng, Juan José and Carlos Serrano. BBVA Research. Mexico. 3.8 million more poor and 2.1 million more in extreme poverty between 2018-2020. August 10, 2021. 

https://www.bbvaresearch.com/en/publicaciones/mexico-38-million-more-poor-and-21-million-more-in-extreme-poverty-between-2018-2020/#:~:text=Key%20points%3A,%25)%20were%20in%20extreme%20poverty.

[11] Data México. Oaxaca State. Accessed June 18, 2022. https://datamexico.org/en/profile/geo/oaxaca-oa?povertySelector=povertyOption.

[12] Jeffrey Cohen. Migration Policy Institute. The Oaxaca-U.S. Connection and Remittances. January 1, 2005. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/oaxaca-us-connection-and-remittances.

[13] Britannica. North American Free Trade Agreement. Accessed June 18, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/event/North-American-Free-Trade-Agreement.

[14]  David Bacon. Political Research Associates. Globalization and NAFTA Caused Migration from Mexico. October 11, 2014. https://politicalresearch.org/2014/10/11/globalization-and-nafta-caused-migration-from-mexico.

[15] David Bacon. Political Research Associates. Globalization and NAFTA Caused Migration from Mexico. October 11, 2014. https://politicalresearch.org/2014/10/11/globalization-and-nafta-caused-migration-from-mexico.

[16] David Bacon. Political Research Associates. Globalization and NAFTA Caused Migration from Mexico. October 11, 2014. https://politicalresearch.org/2014/10/11/globalization-and-nafta-caused-migration-from-mexico.

[17]  David Bacon. Rethinking Schools. Poverty in Mexico and Oaxaca Fuels Conflict. Accessed June 18, 2022. https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/poverty-in-mexico-and-oaxaca-fuels-conflict/.

[18] Daniel Reichman. Migration Policy Institute. Honduras: The Perils of Remittance Dependence and Clandestine Migration. April 11, 2013. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/honduras-perils-remittance-dependence-and-clandestine-migration.

[19] Daniel Reichman. Migration Policy Institute. Honduras: The Perils of Remittance Dependence and Clandestine Migration. April 11, 2013. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/honduras-perils-remittance-dependence-and-clandestine-migration.

[20] New Brunswick City Center. Neighborhoods rich in diversity. Accessed June 18, 2022.  https://www.newbrunswick.com/pub/gen/nb-neighborhoods.

[21] New Brunswick Tomorrow. NBT Releases New Esperanza Neighborhood Plan. June 25, 2019. https://www.nbtomorrow.org/newsroom/nbt-releases-new-esperanza-neighborhood-plan#:~:text=The%20Esperanza%20Neighborhood%20is%20a,Jersey%20Avenue%20in%20its%20interior.