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Consequences of a Politicized Immigration Policy Diálogo Volume 7 Number 1 Article 6 2003 The Mariel Boatlift of 1980: Consequences of a Politicized Immigration Policy Félix Masud-Piloto Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo Part of the Latin American Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Masud-Piloto, Félix (2003) "The Mariel Boatlift of 1980: Consequences of a Politicized Immigration Policy," Diálogo: Vol. 7 : No. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol7/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Latino Research at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in Diálogo by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Mariel Boatlift of 1980: Consequences of a Politicized Immigration Policy Cover Page Footnote This article is from an earlier iteration of Diálogo which had the subtitle "A Bilingual Journal." The publication is now titled "Diálogo: An Interdisciplinary Studies Journal." This article is available in Diálogo: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol7/iss1/6 T h e M ariel B oatlift o f 1 9 8 0 : CONSEQUENCES OF A POLITICIZED IMMIGRATION POLICY by Félix Masud-Piloto As a response to the Cuban Revolution, Havana and hijackings of Cuban planes into the Peruvian embassy, fifteen into and influenced by political tensions of and vessels, the decline of the Cuban the Venezuelan embassy, and one into the Cold War, in 1959, the United States economy, and pressures fo r emigration the Argentine embassy.2 The Cuban Government created a policy that has from Cubans disaffected with the government did not recognize the given legal and illegal Cuban Revolution, contributed to the tensions political asylum rights of those people, immigrants special treatment, benefits that brought the multiple crises to a because none of those who entered the and political asylum upon arrival in the head in the spring of 1980. embassies through the use of force United States. That policy is in sharp could prove political persecution, and contrast to the strict regulations and thus did not meet the basic requirement almost automatic rejection faced by EMBASSY TAKEOVERS for diplomatic asylum.3 immigrants from all other Latin American countries. In practice, the U.S. ANA THE RIGHT TO The Peruvian government refused special immigration policy for Cubans repeated requests by Cuban authorities exemplifies the contradictions and to surrender the gatecrashers. Cuba complexity of political and economic POLITICAL ASYLUM then responded by withdrawing all On April 1, 1980, six Cubans in a bus issues that have guided United States guards and barricades from the crashed through the gate of the immigration policy since the end of the embassy compound. In addition, Cuban Peruvian embassy in Havana amid a hail Second World War. state-run radio announced that anyone of gunfire in which one Cuban guard who wanted to leave the country was killed. The gatecrashers solicited As a result of its rigid ideological and should go to the Peruvian embassy. and received political asylum from the highly politicized framework, United Neither the Cuban nor Peruvian Peruvian government. Cuba responded States immigration policy toward Cuba government was prepared for the by increasing the number of guards and has at times resulted in unusual spontaneous response to the radio barricades at the embassy gate and episodes with deep and long lasting announcement. Within seventy-two demanding that the gatecrashers be implications for U.S. foreign policy. One hours more than 10,000 people had surrendered and tried for the death of of those episodes, the Mariel boatlift of crowded into the embassy grounds.4 Pedro Ortiz Cabrera, the Cuban soldier 1980, or as it was freedom flotilla, killed during the incident.1 popularly known, resulted in the The Cuban government explained its immigration to the United States of position and provided details about the The incident at the Peruvian embassy more than 125,000 Cubans, making it guards' withdrawal on April 4 in a was not isolated or new. For months, the largest uncontrolled migration in series of articles in Granma, believe to Cubans trying to leave the country had U.S. history. have been written by Castro himself. been breaking into Latin American The articles alleged that the vast majority embassies in Havana. In March 1980, The Mariel boatlift was preceded by a of those who rushed to the embassy after Peruvian Ambassador Edgardo de series of events and incidents in Cuba the radio announcements were "scum, Hasbish y Palacio was recalled to Lima and the U.S. that led to the fast criminals, lumpen, parasites, and after sending away twelve Cubans who escalation of a relatively small domestic antisocial elements" and that "none of had sought asylum in his embassy. Up incident into a major international them were subject to political until the April 1 incident, twenty-five crisis. A series of embassy invasions in persecution nor were they in need of asylum seekers had forced their way CASTRO CLAIM ED THEN THAT IF THE UNITED STATES EXTENDED ITS OPEN IM M IGRATION POLICY TOW ARD CUBA TO OTHER POOR LATIN AM ERICAN COUNTRIES, THEY W OULD EM PTY OUT OVERNIGHT. the sacred right of diplom atic asylum ."5 People w anted to leave Cuba for m any their ow n w ay, the only feasible way, Even so, Cuba's policy would be as reasons. Chief am ong them w ere: (a) the Havana Ten Thousand are f o l l o w s : fam ily reunification; w hen the Cuban rendering a verdict on Castroism .... airlift w as suspended in 1973, tens of American diplom acy ought to be 1.Cuba is not opposed to having all thousands w ere w aiting to join their resourceful to see th at this verdict is those w ho so desire to travel legally fam ilies in the United States and had absorbed throughout the Caribbean, to V enezuela and Peru as long as they been unable to do so since; (b) a region searching for new form s of obtain authorization from those weariness with the sacrifices the governm ents."9 The M iam i H erald c o u n t r i e s . revolution reQuired, and desire for a less also focused on the repudiation regim ented life in the U nited States; (c) thesis: "Thousands of Cubans, 2. Nor does it oppose having them consum erism , long gone from Cuba's repressed by m ore than 21 years of travel to other countries with the revolutionary austerity, but brought Castro's Com m unist rule and authorization of the corresponding back for a short tim e during the 1979 desperate for a chance to live in governm ent. dialogue, w hen Cuban exiles visited the freedom , w ent to the em bassy."10 island bringing expensive gifts and 3. Those w ho forced their w ay into the success stories about life in the U nited W hile the rhetoric of freedom and em bassies will not be allow ed to leave. States; and (d) political dissidence. M any dem ocracy filled the front pages, the had been disaffected with the situation inside the Peruvian em bassy 4.Those who entered the Peruvian governm ent for years and patiently kept w orsening, and Castro personally embassy after the guards were aw aited the opportunity to leave.7 guaranteed the safety of all those w ho rem oved are not considered guilty of w ent hom e until exit visas could be forced entry and are, therefore, These explanations did not convince arranged. To the surprise of those w ho absolutely free to return to their observers and com m entators outside had interpreted the em bassy affair as a homes and go in and out of the Cuba, w ho alm ost invariably chose to statem ent against Com m unist em bassy as often as they w ant. The interpret the events in strictly political repression and Castro's dictatorship, Cuban authorities will not take terms. To them, the "Havana Ten several thousand people in the em bassy m easures against them . They can go to Thousand," was a clear repudiation of accepted the offer. A bout 3,000 people Peru or any country w hich gives them Castro and the revolution. Cubans in the received tem porary passes to go hom e, a visa. That is up to them and the U nited States read the em bassy incident 747 decided to not return to the country that w ants to receive them .6 as the first signs of "open rebellion" embassy; another 3,187 received against Castro and the "beginning of the perm anent passes to stay hom e and As far as the Cuban governm ent was end" for the revolutionary governm ent. passports and authorization to leave concerned, the Peruvian em bassy affair Exile com m unities in M iami, New York th e country.11 could be easily solved as soon as Peru or City, Union City, and W ashington, D.C., any other country or countries agreed staged dem onstrations, rallies, and m oney The unusual arrangem ent betw een to receive th e asylum seekers. To classify and food drives in solidarity w ith the ten Castro the "persecutor" and the 10,000 all those w ho w ished to leave Cuba as thousand at the Peruvian em bassy.8 "persecuted" in the em bassy prom pted "scum " and "antisocial" w as unfair and som e serious réévaluations. The U nited inaccurate. C uba's claim , how ever, that In an editorial titled "The H avana Ten N ations High Com m issioner for the m ain m otivation for the crowd at Thousand," the New York Times R efugees said th at the problem w as not the Peruvian em bassy was econom ic interpreted the em bassy affair as a in his jurisdiction because "scram m ers" and not political w as certainly accurate, "verdict on C astroism " and urged the w ere not refugees, they w ere just and w ould soon be accepted by the U.S.
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