A term labeling two refugee populations. After 1975, many Vietnamese braved pirates, storms and starvation in the South China Sea to reach refugee camps in Hong Kong and other areas from which they might seek haven in the US or other Western nations. In the Caribbean, overloaded rafts and small crafts from Cuba and Haiti sought to cross choppy shark-infested waters to reach asylum in Florida. Here, coast-guard patrols were charged to intercept and turn back the refugees (or take them to the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba), leading to chilling televisual images of American forces denying the American dream to desperate families.