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The article reports on the sealifting of Cuban refugees in the U.S. that took place in May 1980. Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro had allowed the opening of Mariel bay, Cuba to foreign boats and issuing exit visas. Eight nations eventually agreed to admit 6,250 of the exiles and the U.S. said that it would take 3,500 exiles. The U.S. admitted the refugees conditionally for 60 days. As reported, the U.S. government was unhappy with the method of arrival of the refugees.

Presents one person's account of the Mariel boat lift out of Cuba in 1980 in which the author and her family participated. Differing accounts of the events that led to the mass evacuation of Cuba to the United States; Description of Fidel Castro's Cuba in 1980, and how people were forced to leave; Events and preparations leading up to the author's departure; The boat trip from Cuba to Miami, Florida; How the Cuban refugees are faring in the United States as of April 2000.

The article focuses on a group of bloggers in Cuba who are determined to expose the realities of life on the island despite the government's blockade and censorship of the Internet. It mentions that Yoani Sanchez has received the Ortega y Gazzet prize for digital journalism from Spanish newspaper, "El País," in April 2008 in recognition of her incisive blog "Generacíon Y." Underground blogger Miriam Celaya González expresses her grievances on the events leading up to the 1980 Mariel boatlift.

Relates an experience in being an immigrant from Cuba who came to the U.S. through the Mariel boatlift. Impact of the boatlift on the two countries; Result of the opening of the Interests section in Havana; Information on how Cuban President Fidel Castro used the chaos of Mariel.