Remembering The Mariel Boat Lift

The Mariel boat lift, is known as the event that happened when a large number of refugees came from Cuba’s Mariel harbor, over to the United States. This happened between April the 15th, and October 31st of the year 1980. Fidel Castro, who was the Cuban president at that time, finally closed the harbor.

With the Mariel boat lift well under way, the ocean’s currents sent the refugees heading towards Florida. Most of the refugees did end up in Miami. Some of the refugees died along the way, never quite making it to the United states. Many of the refugees that made it were arrested when they arrived, and placed in refugee camps. This made the immigration centers of Florida over crowded. The United States government then proceeded to move the refugees to different locations, so that the south Florida immigration center would be relieved some.

The United States government moved some of the refugees to other immigration centers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Arkansas. The United States government later found out many of the refugees were violent prisoners that were in prison in Cuba, that had been set free. How do you tell the people of the United States that you have just spread out what may be violent prisoners from another country all over the place? How could the United States have possibly gotten control of the Mariel boat lift?

Many of the refugees wanted to stay in the United States for a second chance and hopefully what would be a better life. Some were allowed to stay, after meeting certain criteria, the others were forced to go back to the refugee camp while waiting to return home to Cuba. The Mariel boat lift is usually told different by each person that tells about it. Choose the version that you like best to remember the Mariel boat lift by.