Balseros

Balseros ("rafters", from the Spanish balsa "raft") was the name given to boat people who emigrated without formal documentation in self constructed or precarious vessels from Cuba to neighboring states including The Bahamas, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and, most commonly, the United States since the 1994 Balsero crisis and during the wet feet, dry feet policy. History 1994 Cuban rafter crisis The August 1994 Cuban rafter crisis was the fourth wave of Cuban immigration following Castro's rise to power. The 1994 Balseros Crisis was ended by the agreement of the wet feet, dry feet policy between Bill Clinton and Fidel Castro.