Event

Mariel boatlift

1980 · 20th century

The Mariel boatlift was the mass emigration of about 125,000 Cubans from the port of Mariel to Florida between April and October 1980. It began after thousands of Cubans sought asylum at the Peruvian embassy in Havana, and Fidel Castro allowed those who wished to leave to go, with exiles in the United States sending boats. The Cuban government also put prisoners and psychiatric patients aboard, causing controversy in the United States.

Mariel boatlift
Image: U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Republic of Cuba

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mariel boatlift. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mariel-boatlift
MLA
“Mariel boatlift.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mariel-boatlift. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Mariel boatlift.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mariel-boatlift.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mariel boatlift’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/mariel-boatlift (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻