Any of the tens of thousands of Cuban refugees who sailed from Mariel to Florida in 1980 as a result of a temporary relaxation of emigration restrictions by the Cuban government.
Origin
1980s; earliest use found in The New York Times. From American Spanish marielito from Mariel, the name of a Cuban port + -ito.
Definition of Marielito in US English:
Marielito
nounˌmarɪəˈliːtəʊ
US
Any of the tens of thousands of Cuban refugees who sailed from Mariel to Florida in 1980 as a result of a temporary relaxation of emigration restrictions by the Cuban government.
Origin
1980s; earliest use found in The New York Times. From American Spanish marielito from Mariel, the name of a Cuban port + -ito.