Timeline Friday 31 October 1980

Events on Friday 31 October 1980 1

• 1980 Mariel Boatlift Mass exodus of Cubans to the United States Between April and October 1980, roughly 125,000 Cubans left the port of Mariel for the United States after Fidel Castro announced anyone wishing to leave could do so. The flotilla of small boats organized largely by Cuban-Americans in Florida reshaped South Florida's demographics. The episode became a major political issue for the Carter administration.