Editing Operation Peter Pan (section)

=== Pedro Pan children ===
{{see also|Dialoguero}}
{{sources|section|date=May 2023}}
Many Pedro Pans had trouble assimilating into American society. Many were sent to the United States on the instruction of their parents and felt alienated both from their homeland and their new home. Some found the United States an unwelcoming place gripped by racial segregation.

Those who felt uncomfortable in American society often participated in the growing [[Civil rights movement]] and [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|anti-war movement]], adopted the traits of the growing youth counterculture, or rejected the ideology of their parents. Many would desire to return to Cuba. In the same way, some others found professional success, and went on to become notable people. One of such examples is Maximo Alvarez, founder of the fuel distribution chain Sunshine Gasoline Distribution inc., who emigrated to the United States as a Pedro Pan child in 1961, at the age of 13. In 1961, thirteen-year-old [[Ana Mendieta]], who would become a well-known multimedia and performance artist, emigrated to the United States with her older sister. 

Some Pedro Pan children would involve themselves in the [[Abdala]] organization, an organization of Cuban-American students dedicated to protesting the Cuban government and promoting Cuban-American pride.

Other Pedro Pan children would adopt [[Left-wing politics|leftist]] sympathies after becoming involved in social movements in the United States. In 1977, some Pedro Pan emigrants joined the [[Antonio Maceo Brigade]] that sympathized with the Cuban government and supported Cuban exiles' travel to Cuba. The brigade would make the first trip of Cuban exiles to Cuba.

==== Pedro Pan Children by the Numbers ====
A study from [[Yale University]] investigated if the Pedro Pan population shows persistent differences in their physical and mental health, and attachment secondary to childhood separation from their family. These participants were compared against a control sample of Cuban immigrants who had traveled with their families to the US at the same time as the Pedro Pan children. 102 adults who were involved in the Operation Pedro Pan exodus participated in this study.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Palenzuela |first=Deanna |title=Growing Up in Neverland: An assessment of the long-term physical and cognitive correlates of the Operation Pedro Pan exodus |url=https://psychology.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/DeannaPalenzuela_SeniorThesis_GrowingUpInNeverland.pdf }}</ref> 

Within the survey, it was reported that no significant differences were found between the Pedro Pan group and the control group. However, the result of the study can be interpreted in many different ways. Since both groups were part of a larger exile, they could have similar mindsets about their familial ties and feelings towards the earlier time period.<ref name=":2" />