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Commercial transportation between the U.S. and Cuba ceased in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With regular flights to Miami permanently suspended, Cubans seeking asylum in the United States had to do so via third-party countries or by…

In an effort to rid Cuba of political dissidents, Fidel Castro announced in September 1965 that he would allow any Cuban who had relatives in the U.S. to leave the island through the port of Camarioca. Nearly 5,000 Cubans traversed the waters between…

To alleviate overcrowded Miami, the Cuban Refugee Program worked with voluntary agencies to encourage arriving refugees to relocate away from the area. By 1980, 304,000 Cuban refugees, about 60% of those processed, resettled to 38 states and 24…

The Cuban caricaturist Silvio Fontanillas (1913?-2000) prepared this cartoon most likely for the newsletter Oportunidades. It depicts the difficulties that many Cuban refugees faced in finding housing in crowded Miami.

The verso of this photograph reads: During the heavy influx of Cuban refugees this was the daily sidewalk scene outside the U.S. Cuban Refugee Center, Miami. Some days it was impossible to close down activities until well along in the evening hours.

The Camarioca Boatlift ended with an agreement between the United States and Cuban governments that resulted in the Freedom Flights, an airlift of twice-daily flights between Cuba and Miami. Nearly 270,000 Cuban refugees were reunified with their…