Changes in mortality among Cubans in the United States following an episode of unscreened migration.

This paper discusses the effect of the Mariel migration, a massive boatlift from Cuba to the United States in 1980, on mortality among Cuban Americans. Estimates of the Cuban-born population in the US were made for 1979 and 1981, the years prior to and following the boatlift. A comparison of age-adjusted rates showed that while general mortality did not change greatly (an increase of only about 5%), there was a 151% increase in homicide mortality. The increase in the homicide rate among Cubans in metropolitan Miami (Dade County), the major area of concentration, was 109%; it was still greater among Cubans elsewhere (240%). The demographic differences between the Mariel migrants who settled in Dade and those who were settled elsewhere are discussed.