Content Warning: The source text contains descriptions of death by suicide and political violence.

In April 1980, a city bus driver in Havana drives his bus into the Peruvian embassy to request political asylum. After the embassy refuses Castro’s demand to extradite the driver and passengers, Castro withdraws the Cuban guards from outside the embassy. This proves disastrous for Castro: Over the following days, more than 10,000 Cubans (including Lázaro) enter the embassy to request asylum. The embassy shuts as tens of thousands more Cubans clamor to get in; thousands more attempt to enter other embassies. Castro cuts water and electricity to the Peruvian embassy and smuggles in undercover agents to assassinate government officials requesting asylum. Arenas does not seek to enter an embassy, believing that Castro is setting a trap to round up everyone wishing to escape Cuba.

The crisis makes international news. Castro downplays its severity and receives help doing so from the authors Julío Cortazar and Márquez. To avoid a popular revolt, Castro decides to allow some Cubans to emigrate to the US. However, those Castro allows to emigrate are by and large not those requesting political asylum. Instead, he exploits the situation to expel people he deems undesirable, including criminals, the mentally ill, and gay men.