Spanish in the US: Cuban Americans

Starting in the 1500's, many Cubans came to Florida, which was colonized by Spain.
1960-1979: Hundreds of educated upper and middle class Cubans immigrated to Miami to escape Fidel Castro's communist regime. Many of these immigrants were doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. With help from the US government (who were happy to assist those fleeing a communist regime), and local banks, they built a thriving Cuban American community in Miami.
April-October, 1980: Mariel Boatlifts: Because Cuba was in financial trouble, castro opened jails and mental institutions, and allowed anyone to leave Cuba by boat to Miami. (It is highly unusual for a communist government to allow its citizens to leave the country.) The US government intercepted many of the boats, and placed the immigrants in detention centers until they could be returned to Cuba. Some found a way to stay in the US though. Cuban Americans in Miami felt that these immigrants damaged their good reputation, since many "Marielitos" were criminals or mental patients.

There is a high concentration of Cuban Americans in Miami, FL and other cities in the northeast (including Hazleton, PA).
There were 2 major waves of immigrants from Cuba: one after Fidel Castro (communist) came to power (many were educated professionals), one in 1980 (Mariel Boatlift, included many criminals and mental patients send here by Castro to save money for Cuba).
Generally speaking, Cuban Americans have higher socio-economic status and higher education levels than other Hispanic American groups.