The exodus follows nearly five years of increasing turmoil in Cuba after the fall of its Soviet patrons. Last summer Castro eased a few restrictions. Possession of U.S. currency is no longer illegal, and some private employment is allowed. The timid reforms raised hopes for improved living standards. But a year later, with Castro blocking liberalization, and tensions erupting between the haves and the have-nots, refugees say hope has died.
Ration books provide barely two weeks' worth of food.
For the rest, families must rely on the black market, where 120 to 150 pesos, generally half a month's salary, buys only one U.S. dollar. We had been waiting four or five months for soap. The pressure has grown all summer as gas, cigarette and food prices continued to climb. Residents of the capital began riding the ferry across Havana Bay four or five times a day, hoping it would be hijacked to Key West. Other Cubans began to commandeer motorboats and tugboats, but the authorities gave chase and opened fire.