After approximately 10,000 Cubans tried to gain
asylum by taking refuge on the grounds of the
Peruvian embassy, the Cuban government announced that anyone who wanted to leave could do so. The ensuing mass migration was organized by
Cuban-Americans with the agreement of Cuban president
Fidel Castro. The arrival of the refugees in the U.S. created political problems for U.S. president
Jimmy Carter. His administration struggled to develop a consistent response to the immigrants, and it was discovered that a number of the
refugees had been released from Cuban
jails and
mental health facilities. The Mariel boatlift was ended by mutual agreement between the two governments in late October 1980. By that time as many as
125,000 Cubans had reached
Florida.