Abstract
During the Mariel boatlift of 1980, roughly 2,000 unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) arrived in South Florida without protection or parental supervision. These children were dispersed among camps in Wisconsin (Fort McCoy), Arkansas (Fort Chafee), and Pennsylvania (Fort Indiantown Gap) and were managed by voluntary agencies staffed with psychologists, physicians, educators and other professionals. Using oral histories from four of these staff members tasked with coordinating and executing the management of these unaccompanied children, the experience and subsequent adaptation outcomes of these URMs is evaluated. The personal testimonies are augmented with a review of the current literature surrounding the migrants of the Mariel boatlift and unaccompanied refugee minors, as well as an analysis of previously undocumented archival material. The unique challenge that faced the Mariel URMs is illuminated, and the likely negative adaptation outcomes are illustrated. Popular theoretical frameworks are applied to the Mariel case, including segmented assimilation theory and resiliency theory. The need for further study in the form of testimony from the Mariel URMs is demonstrated.