The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from LACUJAE Continuing series.

Sept.16:

Carlos Angel Muñoz is convicted in federal court under the 1917 Trading with the Enemy Act. Muñoz bought a boat and charged $625 for each person he brought back during the boatlift. He will be sentenced to 30 months in prison. In all, more than 1,100 cases would be filed against U.S. boat captains who brought aliens without visas to the United States.

 Sept.26, 1980

Castro closed Mariel and orders all boats awaiting passengers to leave.  125,262 Cubans have arrived at Key West via Mariel

Oct. 21, 1980

CHTF announces the President's decision that Cubans and Haitians who arrived from June 20 to October 10 will be paroled into the U.S. as "Cuban/Haitian entrants (status pending)."  Approximately 11,000 Cubans and 5,500 Haitians arrived in South Florida during this period. Mami was one of those she got her card 5 yrs later we got our residency cards right away. 

By this time, too, we had checked in with Jackson Hospital to have my brother's legs examined it's a genetic thing we had, but that’s another story that also started in Cuba. During the 1980s when you called Cuba, it was a 5-minute phone call then they cut you off quick. So Papi would communicate with audio tapes which first it was hard to get a cassette recorder and then finding tapes to record. I remember many times when Papi would have a section for us, and we listen in the bathroom, then it would be the part for my Mami. And I cry to this day remembering Mami listening to Papi and crying in the bathroom. We have those tapes, and I transfer them to all Mp3’s so we will not forget his voice It’s 12 tapes which include my great grandparents on my Mami side. Also, Papi would send postcards which were hard to find and expensive they tend to be 3-D ones from Russia, North Korea we saved all of them. It took us many years and a lot of paperwork thru the ordeal of Papi leaving Cuba we grew up in government housing in Hialeah and food stamps, and with the help of our family, we survived.  The next five years were hard, but it became a love story with the tapes between my Mami and Papi. The Romeo and Julieta of the Caribbean. 

                      Hector y Ada Capote 

April 1, 1985: Almost five years after they arrived in the United States, INS starts the process of giving permanent resident status to Mariel refugees. At 100, Victoria Contreras becomes the first Mariel refugee to obtain U.S. residency. Mami gets her Permanent Resident card we got our right away.

During the separation, Papi spoke about been watched by the Cuban center intelligence. Papi would leave a piece or two of his hair with saliva on the doorknob and he comes back and it would be gone he knew the Cuban center intelligence search our apartment. Sometimes it would be there but he does not know what they did put a microphone. And Papi would be tempted to do something against the government but Tio Jorge would tell him they are watching you you will go to jail. So Papi held back his urge to fight the Cuban dictatorship. Papi said one of his happiest days was when he married Mami and his kids were born plus when  Papi was finally freed from Cuba thru Panama in Dec of 1985. Papi said men would truly love their wife and kids those are moments you never forget. 

The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from LACUJAE Continuing series.

August 2 at night, our boat journey begins.

Then we started to load the boat it was called "Chula" the Military had put prisoners and others in our boat one of the men they put on our boat looked around and made faces the whole time. We were sat in the middle with a family. The boat maybe could fit 15 we could not move everyone was foot to foot knee to knee then a boat behind us broke down it was a small boat with 4-5 people they came aboard us we got a rope and tugged the boat when we got to international waters. We would put our heads down when Coast Guard past by we had too many people. I remember waves and sharks and dolphins things I have never seen before. We eventually threw out food and Mamis precious thermo that is hard to find in Cuba around a 12-14 hour trip we slept a lot. None of us threw up, but a lot did in the boat.

August 3

The boat was silent during the trip in the dark waters, and when we got close to the Port of Key West at Truman Annex and put the American flag instead of the Cuban everyone clapped.  Ernie had the cast, so  Tio Jorge got him a wheelchair, and Jose was on it too, and Mami grabs Yoyi and me, and they gave us a sandwich in which Yoyi jump on like a hungry shark. Tio said if you see I disappear, it’s because they are arresting people I have to leave my son is here Jorge Enrique Capote Mateo age 18(My Cousin) Tio’s first plan was to jump in the water and swim, but there were sharks in the water.   We landed on August 3 around   9:00 am Sunday in the morning on the boat La Chula. Tio Faustino Fernandez age 48 the husband of Tia Hilda Capote Corzo age 50 signs for us so the boat could not be traced to Tio Jorge then came to the Port the big shrimp boat which landed with over 100 people. We stayed overnight in Key West at the Trumbo Point our family left around 5 am for a 3 hour and a half drive to Krome Detention Center  Monday, August 4  in the morning we get there around 8- 9 am.  Mom called Tia Hilda because she had one call she could make  and  Tia Hilda said that Tia Thelma Capote Corzo age 49, Tio Jorge and Tia Nyda, Tio Faustino, cousin Jorge, my cousin son of Tia Hilda Jorge Fernandez Capote, age 15, where coming along. So Mami went to get some sandwiches because they kept announcing it over the loudspeaker come to get them Mami worried about leaving us alone when she finally went Tio pulled up, and they called our names over the speaker when he saw her he said go get the kids we are leaving he had a van. Tio gave Mami some yellow folders he said you can not lose them; these are your immigration papers. We went to the house of Tia Hilda and hey had a cake for me and toys. We did not call Cuba for a while, but we heard that Papi knew that we had landed safely in Key West.

A Cuban guard watches refugees leave the Port of Mariel. 

Refugees wait to be processed by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) agents old naval seaplane hangar at Trumbo Point in Key West.

Pier B Truman Annex Key West during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980 we landed here. 

The Mariel Boatlift the story of the Capote family from LACUJAE Continuing series.

August 2, 1980

 So Tia Vivian came that day with a veil so no one would recognize her she brought a cake it was a day before my birthday, and she said Tio called he is in the Port of Mariel, and you are leaving when the Military came for us this time they went thru the back of our apartment complex so this time they were not to be seen. The soldiers drank maltas and ate cake. They came for us in two cars in one Papi and me with Jose the other  Mami with Jorge(Yoyi) and Ernie almost always Jose was with Papi and  Mami with Ernie and Yoyi It was getting dark, so no one found out we were leaving. On August 2 Saturday we left around 7 pm we came to the Abreu Fontan it was closed, and they told us to wait they are getting our passports. We were not there for long, but it became the moment of truth. The chauffeur who took us the first time we tried to leave Cuba was on guard this time, and he said that one(Papi) had problems he cannot leave he said to Papi also during the papers process Tio had not said that Papi was working at University City José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE) at a hydraulic plant.  When they went to look at what happened the last time nothing came up about Yoyi and his missing passport/ documents, but they had information where  Papi worked, and Tio Jorge did not mention that in his in request to avoid any issues.

        The Military police said because he worked as a technician and because he knew things about the University and also the man told him "You have betrayed all the patriots that have died for our homeland" and Papi said “ Is not all of you that have betrayed all the heroes of our homeland? The man but he head down and did not answer. Then came the famous Tony Laguardia he asked your Hector Capote and Papi said yes colonel com on your are leaving. But When Tony went to the back they talked to him and he never came out the same door he went out thru the back and Papi did not see him again. Papi said if there is one terrible moment in my life that I will never forget was that moment. Papi was taken from us at Abreu Fontan Mami was crying when Papi said he could not leave. He also said my Brother will get me out take the kids; this is our chance for our kids. Then I finally learned the secret about what we where doing Papi told me,” Hectico, you are now the man of the house take care of your Brothers and Mom.” And Tony Laguardia was executed by the dictatorship in a famous trial with General Ochoa in 1986 they took the blame for the corrupted communist government drug dealing but it was really the Castro brothers behind it. 

       It was the most painful moment in my life that never seems to hurt any less, and this happened a day before my 7^th birthday. For me, the story for a long time was about a little boy who did not understand why he was separated from his Papi. But now I know different, and Papi also suffered similar pain I imagine when his Dad Ricardo left Cuba on Aug 24, 1967, when Papi was 19 that would be the last time he would see his father  Ricardo died in Miami.   Papi told Mami that she “had to leave it bests theirs no future in Cuba we have four boys they could be arrested and killed and don’t worry again my brother will come back for me.” Mami cried a lot, all along the drive going to the Mosquito Camp. They tried to split us up after learning that Papi could not leave Cuba, but Mami said no way I am going to be separated from my children. It took us 45 minutes to get to the Mosquito camp called that because of the enormous population of mosquitos and the conditions of the camp. We went to an infirmary. Mami was with us the four kids in the tent when the military guards asked her questions did she have family in the U.S.A.?
Why she is taking us out of Cuba? She did not want to answer. She just said that she has her husband’s family, and then they asked me questions. And they told me I wouldn’t be able to go to school like in Cuba my Mami told me to keep looking at her and do not answer. I would not have toys I would live bad  and sad not like Cuba and Mami said: “do not be afraid you have your uncles in the U.S.A.  they love you and will take care of us.”  My Mami was such a brave woman, you would not expect it, but since her biological father abandoned her, it has only strengthened her idea of family and sacrifice for one's family. One of the twins Ernie had a cast around one leg not sure which one but he had an appointment to be operated like me the military again tried to raise doubts about us leaving.

A small van came to pick us up. We passed by the camps, picked up people, and heard lots of screams, and saw dogs attacking people. Some people came with dogs bites untreated from the camps.   So they took us to the port where the boat was. Tio Jorge saw Mami, she recognized him from the pictures they hugged he told her don’t worry I will get him out.  Tio already knew that Papi was not coming since he had paid off a lot of folks so we would have a more comfortable passage than most that went thru  Mariel and we did so we had it a bit easier in a sense that lots of others spent days or weeks in Abreu Fontan and  Mosquito camp with barely any food and horrible conditions. Tio hugged all of us he took to me to see the boat, and he told me I  looked like Papi for us the kids it was the  first time we ever saw him he promised to me when I asked him: “Don’t worry I will get your Papi back quick.” He gave us food to eat.

Abreu Fontan last place we saw Papi on 08/02/1980

University City José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE) where Papi worked