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.