In 1980, then-President Jimmy Carter welcomed 125,000 Cuban refugees to the United States as part of the Mariel Boatlift. This unprecedented migration accomplished in just a few months embodied the resilience and ambition central to the American Dream.
Yet, despite their contributions, the legacy of the “Marielitos” has long been tarnished by false narratives and harmful stereotypes.
Recently, a front-page article in the Miami Herald on the death of former President Carter mischaracterized the Mariel refugees by stating that “many of them were criminals.”…