Examines the experience of the state of Florida in accommodating the health and human services needs of recent immigrants to the United States, with a particular focus on Cubans and Haitians. Comparisons between the immigrant groups suggest that the Haitians do not attain as high an employment status as do the Cubans. In other ways, both groups share similarities; for example, their education costs exceed those of citizens born in the U.S. Moreover, immigrants need assistance in such areas as job training, public assistance (including food and shelter), and health care services, all of which strain the state’s budget. Florida’s criminal justice system has to bear extra expense that results from incarcerating undocumented persons. Formal requests to the U.S. Department of Justice yielded $18 million from the Immigration Emergency Fund. Florida officials judged these funds insufficient to cover the costs associated with providing services to its immigrant population, and a series of subcontracts were executed to encourage more innovative and effective programs for addressing clients’ needs, such as those that support economic self-sufficiency.
