This Associated Press article is the first and only information I've found in the news about the swap, altho I did find an The person who sent it to me failed to include the publication and the date. I suspect it is from the Orlando Sentinal sometime in October 1998.
Florida Swaps For Lesser evils
State trades violent felons for nonviolent offenders
Associated Press
Miami - Thirty inmates who came to Florida in the 1980 Mariel boatlift from Cuba and committed murders, robberies and other violent crimes have been handed over to the U.S. government in exchange for 30 nonviolent felons.
The prisoner swap is aimed at shifting the cost of criminal immigrants from the state to the federal government. The state will save an estimated $10 million by getting rid of the felons, most of whom are serving life sentences.
Instead, the state will now incarcerate 30 minimum-security U.S. citizens serving shorter federal terms, mostly for drug-related or white-collar crime convictions.
"We are in effect swapping 30 Mariel Cubans who are the worst of the worst, virtually all convicted of murder," Mark Schlakman, special counsel to Gov. Lawton Chiles, said Thursday. "This is one of many initiatives designed to reduce the burden upon Florida taxpayers relating to the illegal migration."
The state shipped out violent felons such as Reynaldo Batista, 47, and Manuel Aguilera, 44, both of whom were serving life sentences for multiple crimes, including murder.
In exchange, the state got Daniel Norris, 59, who's serving nearly 13 years for conspiracy to smuggle marijuana and Leslie Perez, 52, who's serving 12 years for racketeering and other crimes.
The state's estimated savings: $130,000 a year, or about $10 million in social services and health costs for criminals serving life sentences, said Debbie Buchanan, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections.
The first 15 inmates were taken by federal prison officials Nov. 5th. Another 15 were shipped out early Thursday from Everglades Correctional Institution near Miami.
The inmate trade evolved from a Chiles administration initiative in 1994 to reduce the burden on state prisons by deporting illegal immigrants imprisoned for nonviolent crimes. The state and the U.S. government agreed to the exchange proposal in June.
"It's a matter of assisting the state of Florida," said Todd Craig, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington. "When we can, we will help out."
Violent, illegal immigrants have been a financial drain and public threat for the state since Fidel Castro released criminals and mental patients among the 125,000 Cubans who came to Florida during the Mariel boatlift almost 20 years ago.
"the federal government did not act decisively," said Schlakman, who helped negotiate the exchange. "As a result of their inadequate efforts to enforce illegal migration laws, the state of Florida was left to bear the burden."
Twice Florida sued the federal government to recover the money it claims it spends as a result of poor illegal immigration policy, and twice the lawsuits were rejected.
Although unsuccessful, the state's claims made illegal immigration issues more visible.
"This is a national problem, Schlakman said, "The cost relating to that national problem should not be borne by Florida taxpayers alone."
[AP Illustration of Correctional Officers loading shackled prisoners into a vehicle. Caption says, "Correctional officers at the Everglades Correctional Institution in Miami load Cuban prisoners on buses Thursday, where they will be taken to federal facilities as part of a trade that will save Florida taxpayers $130,000 a year. The prisoners, who came into Florida during the Mariel boatlift in 1980, were all convicted of violent crimes, mostly murder."]