Operation Pedro Pan: the journey of a New Jersey family

NEW JERSEY — This is a story of triumph over tyranny: a clandestine mission in 1960 to airlift thousands of unaccompanied children from communist Cuba to the United States.

The mission, which became known as Operation Pedro Pan, was orchestrated by Catholic Charities of Miami, sanctioned by the United States Department of State.

Among the more than 14,000 hidden children who moved covertly over a two-year period were eight members of the Fernandez family, who eventually settled in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The children were taken out of Havana in separate groups so as not to arouse suspicion. A ninth child was later born in the United States.

“From time to time I cry. And everyone does that when they have a trauma, right?” Patricia Fernández said in an exclusive interview with the I-Teamthe research team of our sister channel NBC New York.

The brothers had never spoken to each other about their trauma until NBC New York He asked them to meet for an emotional interview where they had several moments of pause to compose themselves.

“The fact that we couldn’t leave Cuba together was very emotional. It was horrible because we didn’t know if we were going to meet again,” said older brother José.

Before their parents sent them away, the brothers described the fear of being constantly watched by government agents.

“You know the fact that even in your own neighborhood you couldn’t talk because you were afraid and my dad used to warn me, ‘Don’t talk to anyone, you can’t trust anyone,'” Bill Fernandez said.

Three of the siblings ended up in a now-closed orphanage and reformatory on Staten Island.

“It was horrible,” Ed Fernandez said. “I felt like it was my fault. Like I had done something wrong.”

Their father ended up finding an apartment in Elizabeth for seven of his children. Her daughter Beatrice, at 9 years old, was the last to leave Cuba. Her mother, a Spanish citizen, came later.

“I had no idea what was happening and all I remember is my mom telling me not to talk to anyone. I had no idea she was going to an airport or where she was going,” Beatrice said.

Brother Juan, born in the United States, says the family never talked about the years they were apart. Some lived in Florida in camps before joining the others in New Jersey.

“We are very close. We’ve always been close, we’ve always taken care of each other. But we never had the feeling of sharing the pain or anguish that we all experience here. “This is years of therapy in a single interview,” Juan said.

They now understand their parents’ painful decision: to send them away in the hope of freeing them.

“I never realized the sacrifices my parents made for us,” Bill Fernandez said. “At that time, when I was 7 years old, I thought I had been abandoned. But now, looking back, I really regret that I never had the opportunity to tell my father: thank you for the sacrifice you made. Because it was a sacrifice: sending eight children and not knowing if you would see them again.”

They each have a new appreciation for what family means after being separated and finding themselves in a foreign land. They will be together these holidays, as always. But now, for the first time, they will share their story with their children and grandchildren: a true gift.

Most of the more than 14,000 children were reunited with their families in the United States. There are thousands of people who were part of the operation Peter Pan throughout the country who now connect through social networks and with many more chapters to write.