February 4, 1982

The last twenty-three Cuban refugees, who had fled Cuba in 1980 seeking political asylum and who had been housed at Fort Chaffee near Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and other places in the United States, left Fort Chaffee. More than 125,000 refugees had fled Cuba in 1980. Records show that, overall, 25,390 refugees from the boats escaping Cuba had been housed at Fort Chaffee. Few, if any, chose to settle in northwest Arkansas.