Series VI: The Cuban Excludables, 1989-1997, inclusive

This is a full-length feature of the film The Cuban Excludables.

This video features brief interviews with Cuban detainees shortly after they were deported to Cuba. Several describe their experiences in the United States, discussing the prisons where they were held, experiences of racism, and difficulty of life in the US. For much of the video a woman speaks to the prisoners about how to rebuild their lives in Cuba. She explains that although they cannot return to their lives and families in the United State, they should try to adjust to living in Cuba as best as they can by reconnecting with family and finding work. Many of the prisoners can be seen crying and others are visibly distressed.

This video begins with footage of Miami radio host Francisco Aruca speaking to callers on his radio program Ayer en Miami. The footage shows Aruca in his studio and then cuts to a brief interview. Aruca talks about reporting on the Cuban community in Miami, and how discussions about corruption in the community has angered many exiled Cubans in Miami. He also describes the difference between Cuban cultures in Miami and Havana, and explains the importance of maintaining a connection to Cuban culture for Cuban-Americans, notably through music. The end of the video features several news clips about the death of Jorge Mas Canosa, a leader among anti-Castro Cuban exiles in Miami. The final minutes of the video feature brief interview segments with Luis Ortega and Denny McLain.

This interview with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officer Duke Austin focuses on the deportation and detention of Cuban excludable immigrants. Austin begins by discussing the deportation process and addresses concerns about family members who were not notified when their relatives were deported back to Cuba. He also discusses and defends the policies that led to the detention of Cuban immigrants, and the type of people who the United States detained. Austin compares United States immigration policy for Cubans with its policy for other countries, and details the process by which a deported Cuban could petition to be readmitted to the United States.

This video features an interview with two women whose husbands were deported following their detention by the US Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). They both describe learning about their husbands' deportations only after they received a box of their belongings from the prison. They also describe the effect the deportations and separation have had on their families, and their fears that their husbands would be killed if they were returned to Cuba. They both express their desire to fight for their husbands return, and speak briefly about organizing efforts between other women whose husbands were deported.

Estela Bravo interviews the family of a Cuban excludable, or excluible, named Pablo. Pablo had been deported from the United States and repatriated to Cuba as part of an immigration accord made between the countries in 1984. This video contains footage of an interview with Pablo's wife Gloria, and their children. Gloria and her son Peter talk about their relationship with Pablo, his incarceration and deportation, and their struggles without him.

This video features Pablo Arayo's homecoming to his community after being deported from the United States and detained by Cuban authorities. His family tells Estela about the community activist who helped facilitate his release, and calls her forward to speak to Estela. She tells Estela about her work and Pablo's case. She says that Pablo did not leave Cuba to be incarcerated as a revolutionary in the United States, and that now in Cuba he can get job training and be close to his family. The video ends with close-ups and cutaways of Pablo's family and friends in background conversations.

This video features interviews between Linden McIntyre and two Cuban detainees who were deported to Cuba. The first, Pablo, speaks with McIntyre about how US prisons profited off of the government funds they received for holding Cuban excludable aliens. Later they discuss his family, and Pablo cries as he explains that he does not know if he will be able to see them again. The next interview features Orlando Sierra who describes the events that led to his detention by US immigration and the confusing legal process he went through before he was deported. He describes being arrested for several non-violent crimes in the 1980s, being detained by immigration in 1991, and not understanding why he was deported or flagged by immigration at that time.

This video contains multiple edited news segments with voiceovers by Estela describing the Cuba Travel Festival. The festival was created to introduce travel and hospitality workers to Cuba as a travel destination for North Americans. Also in the video is archival footage of the 1976 bombing of Cubana Flight 455 that killed the Cuban fencing team. The end of the video contains an interview that is inaudible.

This recording contains an interview with Ciello, who discusses his thoughts about Cuba and why he chose to leave his country. He talks about the Fort Chaffee uprising in 1980, where Cuban refugees from the Mariel boatlift were detained, and how the refugees detained there rioted against the conditions at the camp and governmental processing problems. He further discusses the challenges Cuban refugees face in the United States.

Ciello discusses the conditions of the refugee camps in the United States following the Mariel boatlift, with particular focus on the refugees' mental health challenges.

The video contains footage of an interview with Doug Howington, who was a Captain at U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia where Cuban detainees rioted in November 1987. Howington talks about his experience during the riots, and its aftermath. Following the interview are shots of the prison grounds at night, as well as interior shots.

Terry Ketchel talks about the legal, immigration, and personal challenges she faced with her fiancé, Gulliermo, when he was arrested and deported.

This video contains footage from an interview with Terry Ketchel at the diner where she works. She talks about her fiancé, Guillermo, and their separation due to his deportation. The rest of the video consists of cutaway shots of Terry, footage of the diner, and Terry at work.

This video features an interview with attorney Gary Leshaw. Leshaw begins with a discussion about Dr. Bolivar Martineau and his reputation the Atlanta Penitentiary. He then turns to a discussion about Judge Marvin Shoob and his work on behalf of the detainees. The interview includes and in-depth discussion about the significance of the term "excludable alien" and how if differs from "deportable aliens". It also includes an explanation of how the immigration status of the Mariel Cubans differed from the status of other Cuban immigrants who were granted refugee status. He also describes political fights over the status of the Mariel Cubans including comments by Rudy Giuliani, and his expectation for how the Clinton administration will handle the case.

This video features an interview with attorney Gary Leshaw. Leshaw begins by discussing how he came to represent Cuban detainees known as "excludables" through the organization Atlanta Legal Aid. He talks at length about the policy of US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) that led to the detention of these people, and his firm's attempts to obtain trails for the detainees. He later discusses attempts to end the detention of Cuban excludable aliens through legislation, but suggests that they did not have significant support from the Cuban community in the US to pass legislation in their favor. He ends the tape with a short discussion about Judge Marvin Shoob's attempts to secure due process for the detainees.

Gary Leshaw, an attorney for many of the Cubans at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, talks about the riots there in November 1987, the families of the detainees, and corruption surrounding their deportations and releases. The filmmakers share particular legal cases they had heard about for Leshaw's input. Leshaw also shares his experiences regarding the cases he worked, the families he worked with, and what he had heard regarding corrupt dealings that prison authorities had with detainees.

This interview with Dr. Bolivar Martineau begins with a discussion about the prison riots in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1984 and 1987. He discusses how the riots affected prison staff and how relationships between staff who were taken hostage and those who were not changed after those events. He also describes some of the Mariel Cubans he worked with in the prison and discusses what he thinks will happen to many of them if they are deported to Cuba. The end of this interview features a lengthy discussion about prison tattoos and their meanings.

This video features an interview with Dr. Bolivar Martineau. Dr. Martineau begins by describing how he became involved in treating Cuban detainees in American prisons. He describes his first experience working with detainees at the Fort Chaffee prison in Arkansas, and later at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta. Martineau discusses riots by Cuban detainees in several prisons and the psychological disorders he witnessed in many of the detainees. He describes many detainees as having unclear diagnoses and unpredictable behavior, and recounts the story of one detainee who committed suicide while in custody. At the end of the interview he begins to discuss his psychiatric evaluations of detainees at Atlanta.

Dr. Bolivar Martineau describes his work in the psychiatric ward in the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. He talks about the 1987 riots and the Marielitos (refugees of the 1980 Mariel boatlift). He speaks briefly about his visits to Cuba with the deported detainees and their treatment by Cuban guards upon their arrival.

This footage appears relate to both The Cuban Excludables and Miami-Havana. In addition to the Bolivar Martineau interview footage, it also contains shots of the anti-Castro paramilitary organization Alpha 66; right-wing radio station Radio MAMBI; and a Pastors for Peace caravan featuring Reverend Lucius Walker.

Dr. Bolivar Martineau speaks generally about psychiatric issues, and then focuses more particularly on the Marielitos (refugees of the 1980 Mariel boatlift), the mental health issues they faced, and the patterns he observed among that population.

This video features an interview with Dr. Bolivar Martineau conducted by Canadian journalist Linden McIntyre. In the interview Martineau discusses how he started working at the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta where he treated Cuban detainees. He discusses the people he treated and describes many of them as suffering from a wide range of mental illnesses. He describes the psychiatric ward he presided over at the prison, the reason for its creation, and the ways in which his staff diagnosed, and treated Cuban detainees. McIntyre specifically asks Martineau to speak about the use of the sedative Thorazine to subdue patients, and address complaints from former prisoners about abuses in the psychiatric ward.

In this interview two Cuban detainees Jorge Luis Demagne and Daniel Iglesias discuss their treatment in United States prisons in Atlanta, Georgia and Talladega, Alabama. They begin by discussing how they met and the circumstances that led to their detention. They discuss the prison riot in Atlanta, and the treatment of detainees at the prison. The bulk of the interview focuses on the treatment of Cuban detainees by Dr. Bolivar Martineau, who they said performed medical experiments on them and administered the drug Thorazine without their consent as a means to control their behavior.

This video audio from the radio program Ayer in Miami and a segment of an interview with American baseball player Denny McLain. The first 14:00 minutes contain no video, but feature a portion of the radio program Ayer in Miami, hosted by Francisco Aruca. During the program Aruca takes phone calls from listeners with comments and questions about Cuban politics. At minute 15:41 the tape changes to an interview with Denny McLain. In this segment, McLain discusses his memories of prison psychologist Dr. Bolivar Marineau. He discusses how Martineau and other prison doctors used drugs like Thorazine and lithium on inmates to control their behavior, and talks generally about the poor conditions in prison hospitals.

Denny McLain discusses his opinions about the political and foreign policies of President Ronald Reagan and President George H. W. Bush, and his optimism for the Clinton Administration. He describes his experiences as an inmate at the US Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, talking about the conditions and treatment of the Cuban detainees at the prison, and how it led up to the riot in 1987.

In this video, Denny McLain begins with his account of corruption in the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. He asserts that attorney Herb Shafer took payments from Cuban inmates who wanted to be transferred from the medium-security facility to the minimum-security prison camp outside. McLain speaks about reporting this to the FBI, and reporting other illicit activities taking place in the prison to Atlanta newspapers.

This video contains footage from a longer interview with Denny McLain. Denny McLain talks broadly about his life as well as his experience being in the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia with the Marielitos (refugees of the 1980 Mariel boatlift).

This video begins with a joint interview with Atlanta Legal Aid volunteers Sally Sandidge and Carla Dudeck. They begin by discussing the legal situation of the Mariel Cubans detained in the US Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. They discuss touring the prison and the treatment of detainees that they witnessed. They also discuss meeting Dr. Bolivar Martineau and his work in the psychiatric ward of the prison. Finally, they discuss their legal work and constitutionality of the detention of the Cuban refugees. At minute 11:30 the video changes to an interview with Atlanta Legal Aid attorney Gary Leshaw. He describes his organization's attempts to secure trials for Cuban detainees and talks at length about the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) policy that led to the detention of the Cubans.

This interview with Sally Sandidge and Carla Dudeck begins with a discussion about how the two women became involved in activism on behalf the Mariel Cubans detained at the US Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. They describe learning about the case of the Cuban detainees from an acquaintance they knew through Christian social activism. They explain that their acquaintance had been arrested and sent to Atlanta, and encouraged them to advocate for the Cuban detainees he met there. They describe their early activism, meeting family members of the detainees, and the individual stories of the men they met in the prison.

This video features an interview with Judge Marvin Shoob. Before the interview begins Shoob and Estela Bravo informally discuss Dr. Bolivar Martineau and baseball player Denny McLain. The official interview begins around minute 3:00 and features a discussion about Cubans who were detained by Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), and the difficulty of obtaining individual trials for these people. He shares a story about a man who he argued never should have been detained by INS, but was held in a US prison for several years because of what he describes as an arbitrary decision and a failure to individually address his case. Shoob also discusses his attempts to gain the release of several detainees and the resistance he encountered from the federal government and prison administrators.

In this interview Judge Marvin Shoob discusses his defense of Cuban detainees' rights of habeas corpus, and the Supreme Court's decision not to hear his case. He also shares a story how his experiences during World War II influenced his approach to his career as a judge. He discusses controversial statements former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made about the Cuban detainees Shoob wanted released, and the consequences of those statements on his safety and the process of releasing individuals. Finally, he describes conditions detainees faced in American prisons, which led some detainees to suicide or self-harm.

In this portion of an interview with Judge Marvin Shoob, Estela Bravo speaks with Shoob about his advocacy for Cuban detainees in American prisons. The beginning of the video discusses the 1987 Atlanta prison riots, and the role of Cuban detainees in those riots. At minute 12:43 Shoob's wife joins the conversation and talks about the death threats she and her husband received as a result of Judge Shoob's support of the Cuban detainees. The bulk of the interview discusses the human rights concerns about detaining Cuban exiles convicted of minor crimes indefinitely, and the policy decisions that led to their detention.

This video begins with an interview with Judge Marvin Shoob. Shoob begins by outlining how he was assigned to the Cuban excludables cases and describing how these individuals first came to be detained. He describes reviewing the cases of the Cubans held at the Atlanta penitentiary, and talks at length about the legal situations that led to their detention and his efforts to get many of them released. Some of the content of this video is duplicated on other tapes, but this tape contains the most complete recording. At minute 49:00 the video changes to an interview with criminology professor Sheila Van Ness. She discusses the immigration trails for the Cuban detainees and the difficulty of advocating on their behalf. Van Ness describes how she interviewed many of the Cubans at the penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana and her perception of the legal process surrounding their cases.

This video features an interview with American diplomat Wayne Smith conducted by journalist Linden McIntyre. The interview begins with a discussion of the events that led to the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. Smith cites Cuban attempts to establish normalized immigration policies with the United States, hijackings of Cuban boats by individuals seeking to reach the US, and the occupation of the Peruvian embassy in Cuba in 1980. He talks at length about the legal status of the Mariel Cubans who were listed as excludable, and others who were paroled into the country upon arrival. He also discusses the unique situation of Mariel, and the human rights abuses that many Mariel Cubans faced after they were detained by US immigration.

This interview features American diplomat Wayne Smith speaking with Canadian journalist Linden McIntyre. The interview begins with a discussion of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, tensions that led to the crisis of the Mariel Boatlift, and the excludable immigrants that arrived in the United States among that group. Smith discusses diplomatic talks between Cuba and the United States that took place under the administration of Jimmy Carter, but were stalled after Ronald Reagan took office. He talks about this history of US immigration policy toward Cuba and expresses his hope that the incoming Clinton administration will normalize relations. The last 10 minutes of the video focus on interviewer Linden McIntyre and feature him restating questions to make them more succinct for the edited film.

This interview with American diplomat Wayne Smith begins with a discussion about Cubans attempting to cross the Strait of Florida on rafts, which transitions into a discussion about Cuban "excludable aliens." This part of the interview focuses on United States immigration policy toward Cuba, which Smith describes as a double standard when compared to countries like Haiti. He also discusses the US immigration policy that led to the detention of the Cuban "excludables," and criticizes the United States for not doing more to restore normal relations with Cuba. Smith discusses the political influence of the Miami Cuban community and expresses his disappointment that Cubans and American have not had the opportunity to communicate with each other for many years.

This video consists of three separate interviews with American diplomat Wayne Smith, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officer Duke Austin, and attorney Rafael Penalver. The three interviews focus on INS and US government policy that led to the detention of the Cuban "excludables." The interviews include discussion about the detention of Cuban "excludable aliens" from different perspectives, and include anecdotes about individuals held by US immigration services. The end of the video features a series of interviews with Cuban detainees after they were deported to Cuba. They discuss their treatment in American prisons and the events that led their detention.

This recording contains three separate interviews. The first interview is with criminology professor Shela Van Ness, who discusses the Talladega riots and her support of the detainees. In the second interview, Bravo speaks with Earl Lawson, a retired prison employee from Atlanta. In the final portion, Bravo interviews Sally Sandidge and Carla Dudeck, activists with the Coalition to Support Cuban Detainees.

This video contains footage of an U.S. Immigration plane landing in Cuba and the transfer of the prisoners from U.S. custody to Cuban authorities. The deported prisoners are transferred from the plane onto a bus. In her conversation with the prisoners, Estela explains she is making a film for viewers in London and asks their names, how long they were in the United States, and if they are happy to be back. The prisoners share their experiences living in the United States. Many talk about being happy to return after realizing that life in the United States was harder than they anticipated, such as with the discrimination they faced there. The video also includes cutaway, close-up, and background shots.

This video contains footage of detainees boarding flights and arriving at a Cuban facility It features interviews with passengers in Spanish and footage of them boarding a plane. It contains an interview in English with a Department of Justice employee and interviews in Spanish with detainees during their flight.

The first 13 minutes of this video contain footage of Cuban detainees at an airport. The remainder of the tape contains an unrelated commercial recording.

This footage contains interviews in Spanish with the detainees. The interviews discuss the prison experience and include discussions about abuse and Dr. Bolivar Martineau.

This footage features interviews in Spanish with detainees on a bus. In one interview, a detainee discusses the difficulties of being separated from his son.

This footage contains two sections of what appears to be B-roll of detainees at airport. The remainder contains footage of a speech, which is poor quality and difficult to view.

In the first clip Walkiria Fernandez speaks to the detainees. The conversations are in Spanish. The screen cuts out between 00:14:44 and 00:16:22. Following the drop-out, there are additional interviews with detainees on bus and at airport. In their interviews they discuss general abuses at the prison and Dr. Martineau. The last ten minutes of the video is damaged and contains content that is difficult to view.

This video contains interview footage of detainees talking about Dr. Bolivar Martineau. It includes interview with Cuban detainee who was assigned to work with Martineau. Some of this footage is in English.

This recording contains footage of detainees being welcomed home by family members. It includes brief interviews with relatives of the detainees. It also features many scenes with Walkiria Fernandez. In the video, she accompanies returning detainees to Cuba and explains what the men experienced to a number of individuals on the street.

The first few minutes (approximately 4 minutes) includes scenes of Walkiria Fernandez and detainees. This is followed by footage unrelated to the documentary.

The footage is composed of either Dr. Martineau speaking or being spoken about. In many parts there is a loud Spanish narration that overpowers the English. In some cases there is Spanish over Spanish.

This footage duplicates previous homecoming scenes. This is a fairly poor-quality recording and much of the content cannot be viewed.

This recording contains footage of a detainee arrival in Cuba. It features various scenes of detainees on a plane and on buses. It also features United States and Cuban officials. The original box was annotated "Guillermo," which most likely refers to Guillermo Herrera, a detainee who was separated from his family, held without charges, and eventually deported to Cuba.

This lengthy piece of footage contains clips of the detainees arriving in Cuba and interviews with detainees on a bus. Much of this tape consists of duplicated content and background shots.

This tape contains footage of various interviews, most of which are in English. Footage includes: a bishop speaking about the injustices faced by the Cuban detainees; a person talking about Dr. Bolivar Martineau's medical experiments and his use of drugs; Estela Bravo touring C-cell house and interviewing the former Chief of Correctional Services [Hovington] at the Cuban repatriation unit in Talladega; and a lawyer discussing the legality of indefinite detention of the Mariel refugees and the role of Judge Marvin Shoob.

The final 10 minutes of the recording consists of Spanish-language TV programming.

This tape consists of interviews with prison guards detainees on bus. It appears to contain many different clips in Spanish that focus on Dr. Bolivar Martineau. The quality of the footage is intermittently poor and many scenes are difficult to view.

This tape contains footage of family visits and interviews with detainees. It is mostly Spanish, but some in in English. There are moments without sound.

Most of the footage involves interviews with returned detainees and their families. They largely feature discussions about the Marielitos. At around 54 minutes, there is a brief clip of Dr. Bolivar Martineau, then at 57 minutes, discussion with someone who worked at the prison with Martineau. There is a brief discussion with Denny McLain with Spanish voiceover, and then several additional minutes with Martineau.

The first part is a Spanish voice-over TV program featuring footage from The Excludables. After 27 minutes there is a Spanish language TV program.

This video features footage of Cubans detained in the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in Talladega, Alabama boarding a bus for deportation back to Cuba. The video features exterior shots of the prison, footage of the Cuban prisoners boarding a bus, and the bus traveling to the airport.

This video features interviews with three different Cuban prisoners at the US Federal Prison Camp in Terre Haute, Indiana. In the interviews the prisoners discuss how they came to the United States and why they were imprisoned. The interviews focus predominantly on the detention and treatment of the three men in the prisons. They also describe the political situation that has led to their indefinite incarceration, and the struggles they have faced while detained.

This video consists of footage of Terra Haute, Indiana from a car on the way to the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, with country music in the background until their arrival. The video also includes footage of entering the facilities with background conversations in English.

This brief video contains footage of signs of Cuban businesses in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Florida.

This video contains an interview with Olimpio Guagua, an officer in the Cuban Interior Ministry, as he awaits the arrival of a flight of deportees from the United States. Guagua describes his job responsibilities and the transfer of custody of the detained men from the United States to Cuba. The video also includes footage of the plane's descent and landing as well as the transfer of the prisoners. The video ends with brief interviews with the prisoners discussing their time in the United States and their feelings about being deported.

Test pattern with background conversations in Spanish. Cutaway shots of two men, some background direction in Spanish.

This video contains interviews with Pablo Arayo's family. Pablo had been living in the United States and was recently returned to Cuba as an excludable. His family shares their thoughts about his time away and their plans to visit him in the detention center. There is also an interview with Pablito Arayo, Pablo's son. The video ends with cutaway shots of Pablito and the Arayo family.

This video contains interviews with five different grandparents who have children and grandchildren in the United States. The interviewer asks them about how they maintain relationships with their family amidst the political challenges between the United States and Cuba.