The Cuban Rafter Crisis and the Fight for Elian Gonzalez | 155
History of the 90s
Kathy Kenzora
4.7 • 609 Ratings
🗓️ 15 April 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In November 1999, a 5-year-old Cuban boy was found clinging to an innertube in the waters off the coast of Florida after surviving a tragic boat journey that took the life of his mother and ten others.
Elian Gonzalez and his mother were among tens of thousands of people who attempted to escape Cuba on small rafts and boats during the 1990s.
In this episode of History of the 90s we look back at the Cuban Rafter Crisis and the international custody battle over Elian Gonzalez.
Guest Info:
Lillian Guerra, Professor of Cuban and Caribbean History at the University of Florida
Show Info:
Instagram: @that90spodcast
Email: 1995podcast@gmail.com
Tik Tok: 90spodcast
Substack: @historyofthe90s
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey there, it's Kathy. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to History of the 90s |
| 0:04.7 | early and ad-free on Amazon music included with Prime. |
| 0:10.7 | It's early in the morning, just after 4.30, and the sky is still dark, when 14 people wade into |
| 0:17.4 | shallow waters at a beach east of Havana, Cuba. Everyone is quiet as they push a 17-foot aluminum boat away from the shore. |
| 0:25.6 | They're trying their best not to be heard or seen. |
| 0:29.6 | Supplies like water, bread, and cheese have been placed in the boat, |
| 0:33.6 | and just in case they run into trouble, |
| 0:35.6 | three inflated inner tubes have been tied to the back of the boat |
| 0:39.1 | and trail behind in the water. |
| 0:41.6 | Their destination is Miami, Florida. |
| 0:45.1 | But only three people will make the perilous journey, |
| 0:48.2 | including a five-year-old boy, |
| 0:50.4 | who will become the focal point of a fierce international custody battle. |
| 0:55.4 | I'm Kathy Kanzora, and this is History of the 90s, a podcast about a decade that changed the world. |
| 1:01.8 | In this episode, we look back at the Cuban rafter crisis and how a mother's attempt to flee the communist country, |
| 1:08.9 | galvanized Cuban Americans in an epic battle to keep |
| 1:12.2 | her son from being sent back to Fidel Castro's island nation. This is the story of Elian Gonzalez. |
| 1:23.7 | Not long after that small overloaded boat departed from Cuba, things started to go wrong. |
| 1:30.3 | First, the outward motor stopped working, then the weather turned bad. |
| 1:34.3 | As the 14 travelers drifted in rough waters, the boat was hammered by five-foot waves. |
| 1:40.3 | They desperately tried to bail out water that came in over the sides, |
| 1:44.5 | but by their second night they couldn't keep up anymore. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Kathy Kenzora, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Kathy Kenzora and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.