Cuban political prisoners were sent to Venezuela through secret deal/Venezuela democrática salvó a miles de presos cubanos

Thousands of political prisoners and dissidents in Cuba were relocated to Venezuela under a secret arrangement negotiated in 1975 by the Caracas and Havana governments, several participants say. The agreement was hatched in 1975, one year after Venezuela reestablished diplomatic relations with Cuba that had been suspended in 1960. By 1977, the first contingent of Cubans began to arrive and would be followed by an estimated 23,000, including several who had been serving prison sentences of up to 30 years, the participants added ( full information)/Los programas que el gobierno venezolano negoció en secreto con Cuba desde mediados de la década de 1970 salvaron a miles de presos políticos cubanos y sus familiares con la concesión masiva de visas y el establecimiento de un puente aéreo La Habana-Caracas. Ese éxodo silencioso duró 10 años, mucho antes de que Estados Unidos pusiera en práctica sus nuevas disposiciones migratorias con respecto a los cubanos en 1994 ( información completa)