Mariel boatlift

The Mariel Boatlift was a mass exodus of refugees who departed for the United States from Cuba's Mariel Harbour between April 15 and October 31, 1980. Fidel Castro eventually closed the harbour to all refuge-seeking Cubans. Due to ocean currents and its close proximity, the refugees' vessels headed to Florida and the majority landed in Miami. The immigrants were detained upon arrival and crowded conditions in South Florida immigration processing centers forced U.S. government agencies to swiftly move the "Marielitos" to other centers in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, and Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.

Additional information

Larzelere, Alex. The 1980 Cuban Boatlift. (Washington DC: National Defense University Press): 1988.

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See: The Camarioca Boatlift of 1965. Mirta Ojito, a newspaper reporter who is a Marielito.

Related Topics:
Camarioca Boatlift - Mirta Ojito

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