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On this day in 1965, the Castro regime announced that Cubans were free to leave the island. It happened about a year after our family, and many others, had left Cuba via Mexico or Spain.
And so started what we called “The Freedom Flights”. Between 1965 and 1975, ten flights a week brought approximately 300,000 Cubans to the US.
Why did Castro do it? Some say that Castro got rid of many opponents and that’s true. More importantly, it was a “brain drain” and many hard working and talented people left Cuba.
Last but not least, it changed Miami from a sleepy winter resort to a vibrant city that became the capital of Latin America.
This is one of the many books written about leaving Cuba:
This is one of the many books written about leaving Cuba: