Race and Place in the Adaptation of Mariel Exiles

Abstract

The influx of lower class émigrés during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift complicates the “success story” image of previous waves of Cuban exiles to the United States. Examination of Mariel exiles in terms of racial variation in adaptation does not exist; nor is analysis of the geographic distribution and internal migration of Mariel Cubans within the United States represented. Mariel exiles maneuver along distinguishable paths of adaptation as evidenced by patterns of settlement and geographical mobility. I argue that place is a necessary ingredient in illuminating diverse adjustment experiences among immigrants and refugees in the United States. Being a marielita specifically is different to being a Cuban in Miami. I feel first of all Cuban, not particularly marielita, but I can't deny that I left Cuba in 1980, and that sets me apart from other people that came here at the beginning of the revolution. Being a marielita is hard. A lot of people didn't understand us, didn't care for us, we were different. We were darker.