
Marielitos, Immigration, and Sanitariums
In this exchange:
MANOLO: I told them what you told me to tell them, that I was in sanitation. They didn't go for it.
TONY: I told you to say you were in a sanitarium. That you had TB, and you was cured.
- Why did Tony tell Manolo to say he'd been in a sanitarium, with tuberculosis? Wouldn't having had TB been a red flag for immigration?
- How would having been in a sanitarium affect their status?
- What did Tony know, about sanitariums and US policy about Cuban refugees?
- Did Cubans who'd been in a sanitarium get special treatment or preference over other Marielitos?
- Why didn't Tony say he'd been in a sanitarium?
- Once the Marielitos landed in Florida, weren't they automatically granted U.S. citizenship? Why did Tony and Manolo have to lie, and carry out the assassination? Was sponsorship from a citizen required for them to stay in the United States?