IRI Staff Op-ed Featured in Miami Herald

IRI’s Senior Data and Policy analyst, Anthony Capote, wrote an op-ed featured in the Miami Herald. The op-ed examined the historical context of the Mariel Boatlift — a seven-month immigration event that brought 150,000 Cuban and Haitian immigrants to the shores of Miami in 1980 — and its implications for the current moment in U.S. immigration history. In examining the Mariel Boatlift, Anthony incorporates his own experience as a Cuban American to articulate exactly what we can learn from the Mariel Boatlift about immigration policy.

Capote wrote:

“So when we hear politicians make claims about immigrants putting too much strain on state and local resources, remember they are missing out on the bigger picture.

Miami, more than anywhere else in the U.S., is proof that immigrants can radically improve a city by helping grow the economy and expanding the cultural milieu.”

To read the full op-ed, click here.