BROADCASTS.com

Ernesto Rodriguez of La Crosse, Wisconsin came to the state in the summer of 1980. That’s after making a treacherous journey on a fishing boat from Cuba to the United States during the mass exodus known as the Mariel boatlift. Forty years later, he’s finally achieving a goal he’s had since arriving: becoming a U.S. citizen. Erne’s story was originally featured on the podcast, “WPR Reports: Uprooted.”