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Immigration again commenced during the Family Reunion period
September 28, 1965 to April 6, 1973--when Castro announced that exiles
could pick up their relatives at the port of Camarioca. This flotilla
immigration continued through November of 1965 when the boat trips were
halted by the U.S. government. In mid-December of that year the Freedom
Flights air lift began. Although it has been said that the Cubans were
allowed to emigrate for humanitarian reasons, according to Clark (1977),
Cubans were allowed to leave as a means of motivating them to work.
Only those who had spent considerable time cutting cane, often from
3 to 5 years, received permission to leave. The second cohort included
a much larger number of blue collar workers, as well as the elderly,
infirm, and handicapped, than did the previous wave.
The cessation of the Freedom Flights marked the beginning of the
second wane and the fourth stage in immigration. Anyone wanting to
enter the U.S. had to do so by way of a third country. This second
lull continued until the Freedom Flotilla began from Marie! Harbor in
1980. We are now in the sixth stage and third lull in Cuban immigra
tion. Clark (1977) points out that since the Revolution there have
always been people trying to leave Cuba for the U.S. and that about
16,000 have tried to leave by illegal means such as small boats and
rafts.
Reasons for Immigration
Clark, Lasagna, and Reque (1981) point out that as the Cuban
Revolution continued, the dissatisfaction which the people felt when
their ideals were not met also increased. This dissatisfaction