This thesis examines international and national factors in the U.S. policy-making process during the 1980 Cuban refugee crisis known as the Mariel Boatlift. The four stages which this study identifies in the American reaction to the mass migration in spring and summer of 1980 are represented in its structure. While the Carter administration at first tried to find a consistent policy toward the influx of Cubans and aimed at internationalizing the crisis, it was torn between upholding the law for orderly immigration and providing "open arms" to people fleeing communist oppression. By examining newspaper coverage and public opinion polls on this event, I found that it was not until a change in public opinion facilitated a tougher stance toward the illegal boatlift that the U.S. government took decisive steps to stop the mass influx. Concerns about the tense job market, welfare state expenses, racial tensions, and the stigma that this refugee wave acquired because of a noticeable number of criminals, homosexuals, and the mentally ill among the new arrivals contributed to a rising anti-Cuban attitude among the American population. These domestic concerns trumped Cold War foreign policy goals such as containment of Communism and Carter's emphasis on human rights and morality in diplomatic relations. The dynamics of the Mariel Boatlift changed public and legislative opinion towards immigration from Cuba and eventually paved the way for the demise of the Cubans' special Cold War refugee status. After twenty years of relatively unrestricted immigration, the United States turned its back on the Cuban people within ten weeks.