("Balseros," or rafters, was the name given to the boat people who emigrated without formal documentation in self constructed or precarious vessels from Cuba to Florida.)
Historically, whenever the Cuban government was threatened by internal unrest it allowed people to leave in large numbers. Over the last sixty years over a million Cubans have emigrated to the US. In 1980 Jimmy Carter was faced with an influx of around 125,000 Cubans during the Mariel boatlift, triggered by a sharp downturn in the Cuban economy; after large protests on the island the Cuban government announced that anyone who wanted to leave could do so.
The Mariel boatlift, organized by Cuban Americans in Miami, created huge political problems for Carter and Governor Bob Graham, who struggled to develop a consistent response to the immigrants, many of whom had been released from jails and mental health facilities in Cuba. The Cuban government is now discussing another mass exodus, in response to the increasing unrest and threats of possible US interference.
Miami Cubans are exited about the possibility of another boatlift, mostly to help relatives left behind in Cuba, but also to increase their political influence in Florida. DeSantis (and Rubio) could find himself between a rock and a hard place, trying to placate both his Republican anti-immigration supporters and the Miami Cuban community. It could get interesting.
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