Marielito
[ mahr-ee-uh-lee-toh; Spanish mah-rye-lee-taw ]
/ ˌmɑr i əˈli toʊ; Spanish ˌmɑ ryɛˈli tɔ /
noun, plural Ma·ri·e·li·tos [mahr-ee-uh-lee-tohz; Spanish mah-rye-lee-taws] /ˌmɑr i əˈli toʊz; Spanish ˌmɑ ryɛˈli tɔs/.
a refugee from Cuba who came to the U.S. in 1980 as part of a mass migration that sailed from Mariel, Cuba.
Origin of Marielito
< American Spanish, equivalent to
Mariel, from which the migration took place +
-ito noun suffix, usually diminutive