Mariel boatlift facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mariel boatlift

Part of the Cuban exodus
Cuban refugees arriving in crowded boats during the Mariel boatlift crisis
Date	15 April – 31 October 1980 (6 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Also known as	Exodo del Mariel (English: Mariel exodus)
Participants	Government of Costa Rica Government of Cuba Government of Peru Government of United States People from Cuba People from Haiti
Outcome	Around 125,000 Cubans and 25,000 Haitians arrive in the United States.

The Mariel boatlift (Spanish: éxodo del Mariel) was a large movement of people from Cuba to the United States. It happened between April 15 and October 31, 1980. During this time, about 125,000 Cubans left Mariel Harbor in Cuba by boat. They traveled to Florida in the United States.

People who came during this event are sometimes called "Marielitos." This name is used in both Spanish and English. The boatlift started because Cuba's economy was having a very difficult time.

The event began after about 10,000 Cubans sought asylum (protection from another country) at the Peruvian embassy. After this, the Cuban government announced that anyone who wished to leave Cuba could do so. Many Cuban Americans helped organize boats to pick up their relatives and friends. Cuban President Fidel Castro agreed to this plan.

The arrival of so many people caused challenges for US President Jimmy Carter. His government worked to figure out how to handle the new arrivals. The Mariel boatlift ended in late October 1980, after both governments agreed to stop it.

Who Were the Marielitos?

Most of the people who came during the Mariel boatlift were ordinary Cubans. Many were allowed to leave Cuba for various reasons. For example, tens of thousands were members of religious groups like Seventh-Day Adventists or Jehovah's Witnesses. Some were labeled "antisocialist" in Cuba by local groups.

Only a small number of the refugees, about 2.2 percent, were considered to have committed serious acts under US law. They were not allowed to become citizens based on this.

Changes in Legal Status

In 1984, most Mariel refugees from Cuba gained permanent legal status in the United States. This happened because of a change to a law called the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. However, Haitians who arrived at the same time were seen as economic refugees. This meant they could not get the same residency status as Cubans.

Two years later, in 1986, a new law allowed all Cubans and Haitians who arrived in 1980 to apply for permanent residency.

By 1987, some Marielitos were still held because of immigration rules. Also, local police had arrested some for serious actions they committed in the United States. After serving time, these individuals were held by immigration authorities. They were considered for being sent back to Cuba.

In 1987, the United States and Cuba made an agreement about migration. This agreement allowed some former political prisoners to come to the US. It also allowed for some Marielitos to be sent back to Cuba if they were considered undesirable. After this news, some Marielitos held in prisons protested. They stopped protesting after an agreement was made to review each person's case fairly before sending them back. After 1987, the US continued to send back Marielitos who were deemed undesirable.

Later Updates

By June 2016, a small number of Marielitos still faced being sent back to Cuba. Some were elderly or sick, and the US government did not want to send them back. Under a 2016 agreement with Cuba, the US planned to send back the last few people who were considered to have committed serious acts.

How the Boatlift Affected Opinions

Fidel Castro said that those leaving in the Mariel boatlift were not good members of Cuban society. Because of Castro's words and reports that some people with past issues were leaving, some believed the Marielitos were undesirable.

People who did not support US President Jimmy Carter said the Mariel boatlift showed his administration had failed. On the other hand, Ronald Reagan praised the Marielitos. He used their story in his campaign against Cuba.

The boatlift also led to discussions about official government papers being only in English. This happened after people in Miami-Dade County voted to remove Spanish as a second official language in November 1980. Later, a senior adviser to former US President Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, used the boatlift as an example of the challenges of large-scale immigration.

At first, many Americans did not approve of the boatlift. A poll in June 1980 showed that 71% of Americans did not approve of the boatlift or allowing Cuban people to settle in the United States.

In Popular Culture

The Mariel boatlift has been featured in many movies, books, and other works:

• Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey (1981) is a documentary film.
• Scarface (1983) is a dramatic film about a Marielito.
• The Perez Family is a novel by Christine Bell. It's about a group of Marielitos who pretend to be a family.
• The Perez Family (1995) is a movie based on the novel.
• Before Night Falls (1992) is the autobiography of Marielito Reinaldo Arenas.
• Before Night Falls (2000) is a film based on the book.
• 90 Miles (2001) is an American documentary film and memoir by Marielito Juan Carlos Zaldívar.
• Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus (2005) is a memoir by Mirta Ojito.
• Voices From Mariel (2011) is a documentary film that shares the stories of ten families.
• Voices from Mariel: Oral Histories of the 1980 Cuban Boatlift is a collection of stories.

Events at the Peruvian embassy are shown in:

• Todos se van (Everyone's Leaving) (2006) is a novel by Wendy Guerra.
• Cuerpos al borde de una isla; mi salida de Cuba por Mariel (2010) is a memoir by Reinaldo García Ramos.

Notable Marielitos

Some well-known people who came to the US during the Mariel boatlift include:

See also

In Spanish: %C3%89xodo del Mariel para ni%C3%B1os