The Cuban Rafter Phenomenon Movement between Cuba and the U.S. has been restricted for years, yet Cubans continue trying to get out of their country. The flood of Cubans leaving the island came to a head in the raft crisis of 1994, which this University of Miami site explores through photos, videos, maps, and other documents. As tensions between Cubans and their government exploded that summer, thousands of flimsy rafts loaded with people seeking asylum were stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard. The refugees were held at Guantánamo Bay where they received a great deal of media attention. Although they were eventually allowed to enter the U.S, the suffering on the rafts and hard life in the temporary camps underlines their desperation. The images and stories on this site give a complicated and human dimension to the fragility of U.S.-Cuban relations. (in History)
