Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-10-14
Miami: New Land Of Promise for Cubans
100000 ARE REFUGEES
BY JERRY OLEARY, JR.
star staff Writer

star staff Writer
MIAMI. Fla.-Every week that
passes, nearly 1000 Cubans come
to this sub tropical American city
because they cannot abide life
in their Communist dominated
homeland.
An incalculable number of
others would come here, too, ex-
cept that Free America is sep
arated from Red Cuba by 80
miles Of water, Western hemi-
sphere version of the East Berlin
wall.
These migrants. numbering be-
tween 10000 and 100000 in
greater Miami alone, are emotional
people. They are so happy to get
away from Fidel Castro that it
is a common sight to see them
throw themselves to the ground to
kiss the earth when they arrive.
Yet they are so politically split
into parties, factions and sub
factions that there are more than
100 anti-Castro organizations here
with nothing in common but their
hatred of the bearded megalo-
maniac who has ruined their
country and their lives. They can
not even agree among themselves
on the delicate matter of the
ransoming Of the lib surviving
invaders of the Bay OF Pigs in
vasion.
Eager for Reasoning
Those with relatives in the ILL
fated assault brigade are mill
family in favor of the ransoming
at any price. Those not immedi-
ately affected by the stalled nego-
tiations between lawyer James B.
Donovan and Fidel Castro call the
whole thing international black
mail. But, in general. they refrain
from saying so publicly for fear
of hurting the families who have
waited Is months for their i'm
prisoned loved ones.
They come here in the two daily
planes still making the run for
Pan American World Always, or
in leaking rowboats, or in ricketty
crop-dusters that would make an
astronaut turn pale with trepidia-
ton. The ones who left early got
out with money. in varying
amounts, to start a new life. The
recent arrivals enter the United
States without so much as one of
Cuba's now worthless pesos.
They have to turn their homes
over to the Communist regime,
along with their money, jewels,
property and everything except
the clothes on their backs. They =
turn in their car keys at Havana
airport before the last ignominy
of being stripped and searched by
the barbudoS (bearded militia.
They reach Miami in most cases
without knowing any more Eng
lish than coca cola" ana ok"
They bring with them only two
things: Hope and hatred.
DeIirious Joy
Yet they arrive in a state Of
delirious joy, or something APP
preaching shock, and blase Miami
has become SO accustomed to these
joyous or fearful reunions that the
twice daily spectacle at the Inter-
national Airport no longer draws
more than a curious glance from
the Americanos.
The nearly bloodless victory of
Fidel Castro over dictator Batista,
not four years ago, has affected
the entire United States because
Of the growing threat Of Russian
missile and submarine potential.
But no place in the United States
has been changed as much as
Miami and surrounding Dade
County by what is one of the
most concentrated influxes Of
migrants in American history.
When the disillusioned Cubans
began swarming into Florida soon
after Fidel revealed his true ma
ture, Miami became the magnet
for their herd instinct because it
was close to Cuba, because it is
much like Cuba in climate and
because it already had a large
Latin colony. Today, virtually
every fourth person in greater
Miami is a Cuban and this situa-