1980
The Mariel Boatlift
Roughly 125,000 Cubans leave from the port of Mariel for the United States in a matter of months.
In the spring and summer of 1980, roughly 125,000 Cubans left the island from the port of Mariel for the United States in a chaotic, history-making exodus.
How it unfolded
After thousands of Cubans crowded into the Peruvian embassy seeking asylum, the government unexpectedly announced that anyone who wished to leave could do so from Mariel harbor. A flotilla of boats, many piloted by Cuban-Americans from Florida, ferried relatives and strangers across the Straits.
A complicated legacy
The Cuban government used the moment to expel people it deemed undesirable, including some from prisons and psychiatric hospitals — a fact later exaggerated and stigmatizing to the broader group of Marielitos, the overwhelming majority of whom were ordinary people seeking freedom. They reshaped South Florida and enriched Cuban-American life.
Why it matters
Mariel is a defining chapter of the exile story — a reminder of how the Cuban government has used emigration as a political release valve, and of the resilience of those who built new lives in exile.