"Cubans burn tables and roulette wheels outside the Plaza Hotel Casino in Old Havana, Cuba in Jan 1959, shortly after revolutionary leader Fidel Castro gained power. On January 1, 1959, dictator Fulugencio Batista fled Cuba and Castro's rebels took power" (ReviewJournal, 1959).
Cuba created an alliance with Soviet Union in response to the US’s attempt to spread democratic ideas. The Bay of Pigs was a C.I.A. led brigade where 1,400 Cuban exiles were left by the US in Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro. The attempt failed as the US pulled out and left the Cuban exiles in Cuba to fend for themselves and many went to jail. The Cuban Missile Crisis was when Soviet Union sent missiles to Cuba that pointed at the US. Negotiations between JFK and Khrushchev end the conflict.
In that sense, missiles in Cuba add to an already clear and present danger -although it should be noted the nations of Latin America have never previously been subjected to a potential nuclear threat."
-John F. Kennedy radio report
"Early November 1962: Low-level photography reveals 17 missile erectors at north Mariel port awaiting return to the USSR" (narchivesGWU, Brugioni,1962).
"Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, left and, Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet leader hug at the United Nations in 1960" (reviewjournal, 1960).
Castro led battles with guerrilla warfare against Batista in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. Fidel implemented a radical socialist government which caused many Cubans to live without basic necessities such as food, water, and hygiene products. Many starved when standing up for their human rights. Castro imprisoned innocent people who revolted. He held unfair elections and many had no electricity.
❝What frightened him more than staying in Cuba was the certainty that he would be sent to prison or, worse, be executed by firing squad, the regime's prefered method of exposing of its enemies."
-Mirta Ojito
Exit Attempt:Disappearance Medical Condition Firing Squad Politically Motivated Killing
"Cuban refugees waiting for freedom" (floridamemory, McDonald, 1980).
"Young Cuban refugee holding her dolls in airport" (floridamemory, McDonald, 1961).
"Cuban refugees attempt to enter Florida in August 1994" (cfr, 1994).
"Just because it is legal does not make it right."- Christine Dahl Federal Public Defender