Balseros

Those who gave up and left Cuba, II

Any comments, questions or observations about last week’s film?

Why black and white?

28 Sept. 2008
Fewer Cubans have been apprehended this fiscal year trying to enter the U.S.,
according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The agency said it had seen 25% fewer Cubans trying to illegally enter the US.
That amounts to 2140 people, compared with 2868 in 2007.

Still, plenty of Cubans are trying to make the 90-mile trip to the United States
Officials sent 29 Cubans back in 4 different incidents over the past week.

The Coast Guard said almost 100 Cubans in the past 2 years died or are missing
and presumed dead attempting the trip to the US.

The decrease in those attempting the journey cold be due to a busy Atlantic
storm season. Caribbean waters have been dangerous for the past 2 months
due to several hurricanes and tropical storms.
Operación Pedro Pan
http://www.pedropan.org/

A program started by the Catholic Welfare Bureau

[Catholic Charities] to provide an opportunity for
Cuban parents to save their children from the
feared Marxist-Leninist indoctrination or the
possibility of being shipped to the Soviet Union
[rumors spread, in part, by CIA agents.

The CWB was authorized by the US Dept. of State to

notify parents that visa requirements for children had
been lifted, thus enabling kids to travel by commercial
flights to Miami.
Between 26 Nov. 1960 and 22 Oct. 1962,
some 14,000 children left Cuba [the
original intent was to “rescue” 200].

Many of these children were sent to camps in

Florida, others to group homes and private
homes. Those who had family in the States
went to live with them [about 50%].

Twice a day “Freedom Flights” began in Dec. 1965 under an agreement between the 2
governments for the purpose of family reunions. Parents of unaccompanied minors
were accorded first priority. close to 90% of those still in care [camps, orphanages]
were reunited with their parents by June 1965.
After the Freedom Flights were started in Dec. 1965, the delays in family reunions
were due primarily to the Cuban government’s regulations that delayed the
emigration of certain professionals and their refusal to let young men between 15 and
26 emigrate with their parents [due to military service obligations]. The relatively
few other cases where reunions didn’t take place were because of parental deaths, or a
parent staying behind to care for an elderly relative.

The CWB has no record of any “missing” children.

This is an EXTREMELY controversial and emotional

issue. It’s very difficult to find objective reports, at
least on-line.
Some famous Pedro pan children:
Mel Martínez
http://cuban-exile.com
 The Fall Term 1961 Grand Jury made a thorough investigation of the
impact of the Cuban refugees on Dade County. At that time, the Jury
stated:

Many thousands of Cubans who arrived in Dade County now reside in other
counties

The Federal Gov’t had spent $70 million on behalf of the refugees and then next
budget called for $80 million.
the influx of large numbers of people and great amounts of money had obviously
influenced the economic and social structure
The 100,000 Cubans living there had aided the economy by the use of Federal funds, as
well as their own, but had increased the unemployment problem by replacing may
Dade Countians in the labor market, particularly among the lower income wage
earners. In some instances this has been a factor in the increase in crime.

The problem as to the manner in which exile groups will be permitted to combat
Castroism has caused differences of opinion on a national level. Miami, as a Cold War
outpost, has thus had this added tension to overcome.
Events leading up to the Mariel boatlift
13 May 1979: 12 Cubans seek asylum at the Venezuelan Embassy in Havana by
crashing a bus through the Embassy gates.

16 Jan. 1980: 12 Cuban men, women and children seeking asylum force their way
into the Peruvian Embassy in a station wagon. They are subsequently turned over
to the Cuban authorities.

21 Jan. 1980: these 12 are returned to Cuban authorities

23 Jan., 1980: these 12 return to the Peruvian embassy after Lima protests

4 April 1980: The Government withdraws police protection from around the
Peruvian Embassy, announcing that anyone wishing to leave Cuba should go to the
Embassy. Over 10,000 Cubans seek asylum in less than 48 hours.
16 April, 1980: An estimated 7488 refugees leave Cuba. 500 to Spain, 420 to Costa
Rica, 368 to Peru. Of the 200 who go to the US. ¼ were not among those who
stormed the Peruvian Embassy.

20 April, 1980: Castro announces that all Cubans wishing to emigrate to the
U.S. were free to board boats at the port of Mariel.

21 April, 1980: The “Freedom Flotilla” began. Within hours of Castro’s

announcement, Cuban-Americans were on their way to pick up relatives.
[FYI—this is my birthday!]

21-30 April: Total Cuban arrivals 6333

27 April, 1980: The Federal Emergency Management Agency established

a federal coordinating team in Miami
 May 1980: Total Cuban arrivals 94,101 [1485 Haitians also
arrived].
FEMA reports that the Red Cross does not view this as a national disaster and
they would not assume full responsibility for the care of the arrivals. They would
provide comfort kits, cots and blankets when available.

2 May, 1980—Cubans seeking word on their requests for U.S. visas were attacked on
the steps of the US Interest Section in Havana by a pro-Castro crowd.

In a press conference it was stated that recent Cuban arrivals would not be eligible for
benefits under the Refugee Act of 1980
June 1980: Total Cuban arrivals 115, 436

1 June, 1980: Some 1000 Cubans riot at Ft. Chaffee,AR. 2

builders were burnt. State troopers and tear gas were needed
to disperse the crowd. 84 Cubans were jailed.
7 June 1980: The US gives the Government of
Cuba a note protesting in the strongest
possible terms the cynical actions employed
by sending to the US hardened criminals
who constitute danger to any society, and
requested that Cuba accept the return of
these people.
July 1980: total Cuban arrivals 118,065

August 1980, total Cuban arrivals: 121,994

26 Sept. 1980: Castro closed Mariel and

ordered all boats awaiting passengers to leave.
125,262 Cubans had arrived in Key West via
Mariel.
All of this background information is
necessary to truly understand
1994
Because of the “wet foot/dry foot” policy, 35,000+ Cubans took to
the seas in anything that floated, in an attempt to make it to U.S.
shores.

The crossing is extremely dangerous—storms, strong currents,

sharks.....
Castro allowed this to continue in order to force the US’s
hand in changing policy and allowing more Cubans in
legally—20,000 minumum per year through the lottery
system [Castro had demanded that the number be raised
to 50,000].

From 1994-2004, 230,000 Cubans arrived.

Now about 3000 / year arrive.

80-95% of those intercepted at sea declare that they are coming to

the US for economic reasons. They are returned to Cuba.

Only those who can prove that they have been or will be
persecuted are allowed to enter the US.
About 189,000 Cubans registered for the first lottery
in 1994. Another 433, o00 signed up in 1996, and
541,000 registered in 1998.

Miami sources report finding 1 empty raft for every 3 with people
in them.
Elián González
Elián today:

Various opinions…..

http://www.therealcuba.com/elia
n_gonzalez.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
americas/4471099.stm
Balseros [2002] http://balseros.miami.edu/

When Castro told Cubans that they wouldn’t be punished for leaving Cuba in the
summer of 1994, some 50,000 men, women and children set out for Florida on rafts
strung together with rusted out bits of roof tops, inner tubes wrapped in canvs,
and wood ripped from the back rests of park benches.

By the time Pres. Bill Clinton convinced Castro to close the coastline in exchange
for allowing a set number of Cubans into America each year, 1000s of the balseros
[rafters] had been detained by the U.S. Coast Guard and sent to Guantánamo Bay.
Spanish journalist and documentary film maker Carlos Bosch followed seven of the
rafters, from the slums of Havana to new lives in the New World.
Readings for next week: p.581, 664
What to think about/ watch for:
the different ideas that these Cubans had about life in the U.S., the
“American dream” and how they adapted, or not, to life here.
What did they do right, and wrong, upon arrival?
What do you think they’re doing now?

The 7 whose lives you’ll be observing are:

Mericys González
Misclaida González
Juan Carlos Subiza
Oscar del Valle
Guillermo Armas
Miriam Hernández
Rafael Cano