Maureen McCollum:
In the summer of 1980, Ernesto Rodriguez stood on the shores of the Port of Mariel. He was about to board a fishing boat with 80 other people and leave the only home hed ever known: Cuba.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
And then, when they ask me, You wanna leave Cuba? I go, Yeah, because I dont wanna be there.

Maureen McCollum:
Ernesto is one of the 125,000 Cubans who left the island as part of the Mariel boatlift. Protests and discontent led to a rare moment, when President FidelCastro opened the doors to Cuba and allowed his residents to leave for the United States. Almost 15,000 of these exiles, like Ernesto, ended up in Wisconsin. Ernesto shared his life story with me as part of the Wisconsin Public Radio podcastWPR Reports: Uprooted.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
Once I boarded the boat with my fellow exiles, we were bound for Florida. The ocean, in the beginning, was calm. But when we were in the middle, the wind just started.(imitates wind blowing)And thats when a lot of boats sank and people drowned.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
When I got to KeyWest, as soon as I got out of the boat I kissed the ground and said, Thank you, God.

Maureen McCollum:
Shortly after arriving, Ernesto was put on a plane with other Cuban exiles and sent to Sparta, Wisconsin. At FortMcCoy, he worked in the kitchen and showed American cooks how to make Cuban food.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
They said, What the hecks Cuban food? And then I showed them how to make a congri and chicken fricassee. One day, I asked, Do you guys like macaroni and cheese? What the hell is macaroni and cheese? In this kitchen, I became friends with two cooks: the Brandstetter brothers. Their parents, Annette and Roger, would become my sponsors.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
She was the best, the best mom. I never had a mom. I thought of her as my mom. Every birthday she makes me an upsidedown pineapple cake. Every birthday Sometimes I say, Mom, I dont want this no more! And she told me, Ernesto, happy birthday! Come and get your cake! I had to love that family because nobody does that for a Black guy in another country.

Maureen McCollum:
For the next few decades, Ernesto worked across the upper Midwest and also started a family. He is now in his 60s, has put roots down in Wisconsin, and has a tight community of friendsother Cubans who arrived during the Mariel boatlift. They play music together, help each other through tough times, and talk about their dreams of someday visiting Cuba again.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
I have a lot of family that I never met before, like a niece and nephewsgreatniece, greatnephews. Any time I talk to them, its, When you gonna coming? When you gonna coming?

Maureen McCollum:
Like many Cubans who came to Wisconsin during the Mariel boatlift, Ernesto has been in legal limbo for decades. He has not been able to visit Cuba because he could not become a citizen. That is, until the summer of 2023.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
They said, Yeah, make him citizen. Im happy, Im just excited, you know? Waiting for 42 years. Its a big, big step, becoming an American citizen.

Judge (naturalization ceremony):
Ernesto.(applause)

Maureen McCollum:
As a U.S. citizen, Ernesto will be able to cast his first election ballot in his entire life and hes a step closer to seeing his family in Cuba.

Ernesto Rodriguez:
Well, the first thing Im gonna do is go to my hometown, see if I recognize where I used to live, see if the house is still there. And then I go to Havana, party in Havana.

Maureen McCollum:
Hell finally return to the shores of Cuba, the country he left on that fishing boat more than 40 years ago. Hell visit with family he hasnt seen in decades, and maybe even have that party in Havana. And then, hell return to his chosen home in Wisconsin.

[gentle music]