A makeshift sailboat carrying six Cuban nationals arrived unexpectedly at the coastal Florida town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea late Monday night.
Broward County officials said four men and two men survived the nine-day trip, including a pregnant woman who was immediately taken to the hospital for medical care.
The boat — painted with “Miami 305” on the stern and “Barack Obama” on the other side — was towed away shortly after.
BREAKING: Back of make-shift boat says “Miami 305”. The migrants made it to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/TUEmJ06kmZ
— Jamie Guirola (@jamieNBC6) June 7, 2016
“It was a little rough. It was okay. We were just hungry,” one of the travelers told a reporter on the scene, 30 miles north of Miami.
The six people beat Tropical Storm Colin, which is within striking distance of southern Florida.
Under wet foot, dry foot policy — a 1995 revision to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 — any Cuban who flees his or her country and makes it to the U.S. is allowed to apply for legal permanent status a year later. If that process is successfully completed, he or she may then apply for U.S. citizenship. Those who are intercepted in the water (hence the term “wet feet”) are turned back.
