Word: mariel
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Naval Station. The people of the U.S. "do not want to see Cuba dictate our immigration policy," Clinton declared. "They do not want to see Mr. Castro export his political and economic problems to the United States. We tried it that way once," he said, referring to the 1980 Mariel boatlift, which brought 125,000 refugees to America in five months. "It was wrong then, and it's wrong now, and I'm not going to let it happen again...
...While some angry Cuban Americans took to the streets of Miami shouting, "Down with Clinton!" exile leaders like Jorge Mas Canosa, chairman of the powerful Cuban American National Foundation, lobbied the White House to keep up the pressure. The truth is that even the exiles don't want another Mariel, fearing a mass emigration would buy Castro more time. "I'm really struck by the reaction of the Cuban Americans," says one Senate staff member. "It appears that they don't want to give Castro a safety valve...
While "deeply concerned" about a deluge of refugees, Administration officials rejected Castro's threat of a Mariel replay. Said a State Department spokesman: "The United States has stated repeatedly that we will not permit Fidel Castro to dictate our immigration policy...
Angered by a massive anti-government demonstration on the Havana waterfront, Cuban President Fidel Castro warned that unless the U.S. stops offering asylum to fleeing Cubans, he will allow the free departure of those who want to leave the country. That could trigger a repeat of the 1980 Mariel exodus, which saw some 125,000 Cubans arrive in Florida within a few months, overwhelming U.S. officials. Said Castro: "We cannot continue to guard the coasts...
Cuban authorities are locked in a standoff with 700 would-be emigres who took over an oil tanker in the port of Mariel, intent on reaching U.S. soil. The Cubans reportedly took advantage of a security lapse and rushed aboard the Maltese-registered vessel Sunday. The number of Cubans fleeing is rising as the Communist country's economy disintegrates without Soviet aid. The U.S. Coast Guard helped 371 Cubans to shore over the weekend, the biggest three-day total since the Mariel boatlift...