Wisconsin Life

Refugee in La Crosse dreams of returning to Cuba

11.02.2022 - By Wisconsin Public RadioPlay

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Marcos Calderón of La Crosse grew up in Havana, Cuba. At an early age, he fell in love with cars and wanted to travel around the world in the driver’s seat. But, he couldn’t leave Cuba. So, when the Mariel Boatlift happened in 1980, he saw it as a narrow window to get out. He was eventually sent to Wisconsin, settled down in the area and become a professional driver. But, in the late 1980s, he ended up in prison and has been living in legal limbo ever since.

Marcos’s story is featured on the new podcast, “WPR Reports: Uprooted.”

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