US agrees to take some Cubans in Peru

September 15, 1980

The United States has agreed to take some of the 740 Cuban refugees in Peru, according to Foreign Minister Javier Arias Stella. He said the US Embassy would begin examining the most needy cases and the first visas should be issued in the next few weeks. The Cubans in Peru are a small part of the 100,000 who left the Communist-ruled island in April. Most says they have relatives in Miami. Almost all of them have demanded to be allowed to the US. Two weeks ago 160 of them seized a US airliner at Lima Airport and held 15 people hostage for almost 24 hours before being persuaded to leave the aircraft.