Cuban Migrants Come Ashore On Bal Harbour
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - More than half a dozen Cuban migrants who came ashore Tuesday morning are almost home free.
The eight men landed in a small boat around 3:30 a.m. on Bal Harbour beach. Two people who were on the beach spotted them and called 911.
At last check, the immigrants were being processed by the United States Conference of Cuban Bishops. They have already been cleared by the feds.
Earlier, Barry Dale said he watched their arrival from his beach facing condo unit.
"I saw the boat coming on to shore, the people getting off. I couldn't believe it," he said.
The men, who are all friends, say they left Holguin, Cuba on April 30th.
"They said they encountered a sizable storm which drifted them onto an island which they believe was in the Bahamas. After the storm, they set sail again, coming ashore this morning in the 9800 block of Collins Avenue," said Bal Harbour Police Capt. Miguel De La Rosa.
De La Rosa said all of the men are in good condition.
It took the men 11 days to reach South Florida instead of the four or five days a journey like that should take. Their 25-foot wooden vessel was homemade, complete with an engine made from car parts and a hand stitched sail. The men packed only clothes, sunscreen and some flotation tubes.
"These men are very fortunate. When you consider that these eight individuals, ranging in age from their late 30s to early 40s, were at sea in this homemade vessel and encountered storm. They are very, very fortunate to be alive," said De La Rosa.
Baruch Halbern took pictures of the men and boat as a life reminder.
"I think we take democracy for granted," said Halbern. "The reason I'm taking these pictures is so that I can send them to my grandkids to understand that for most people, for many people, life is not so easy."
The men told police they had tried and failed multiple times before to reach the U.S.
The men were later turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for processing.
Their arrival comes at a time when a larger number of Cubans are fleeing the island nation amid renewed relations between the U.S. and Cuba. It's something that is raising concerns among those on the Communist island who suspect the U.S. may stop an immigration policy that allows Cubans to stay in the U.S. if they reach land.
The total number of Cubans arriving in 2014 was 24,000. One year later it had grown to 43,000.
Click here to read more about U.S.- Cuba Relations.
