THE MARIEL BOATLIFT:

Mariel boatlift tested Miami's strength, then made it stronger - Thirty years later, South Florida government leaders and others recall the Mariel boatlift -- a life-changing experience.

Miami Herald, The (FL) - Sunday, April 25, 2010
Author: ALFONSO CHARDY, achardy@ElNuevoHerald.com


This is part of an occasional series that will run through September to mark the 30th anniversary of the Mariel boatlift.

Cesar Odio was at his office at Miami City Hall one morning in late April 1980 when his desk phone rang.

A top federal immigration official was on the line asking Odio's help in locating a big enough place to hold dozens of Cuban refugees who had just arrived in Key West aboard a crowded boat.

It was one of the first boats laden with refugees boarding vessels in large numbers from the Cuban port of Mariel, 20 miles west of Havana.

It was also the beginning of the Mariel boatlift, which brought more than 125,000 Cuban refugees to U.S. shores between April and September 1980.

Thirty years after the biggest refugee exodus from Cuba, local officials who played key roles in the crisis recalled the historic events in interviews with El Nuevo Herald.

Posted By: Ayanna Spikes

Page: B1
Provided By: The McClatchy Company
Index Terms: El Nuevo Herald; National Security Council; Carter Administration; University of Miami; State Department; Federal Emergency Management Agency
Location(s): Havana; Cuba; Miami; South Florida; United States; Florida; Opa-locka Airport
Personal Name(s): Maurice Ferre; Sergio Pereira; Fidel Castro; Jimmy Carter; Walter Mondale; Madeleine Albright; Del Castillo
Record Number: 201004250001KNRIDDERFLMIAMIH_44424
Copyright (c) 2010 The Miami Herald

THE MARIEL BOATLIFT: Mariel boatlift tested Miami's strength, then made it stronger - Thirty years later, South Florida government leaders and others recall the Mariel boatlift -- a life-changing experience.
CHARDY, ALFONSO. "THE MARIEL BOATLIFT: Mariel boatlift tested Miami's strength, then made it stronger - Thirty years later, South Florida government leaders and others recall the Mariel boatlift -- a life-changing experience.." Miami Herald, The (FL) 25 Apr. 2010,: B1. NewsBank. Web. 25 Apr. 2010.