Cuban Migrants, Pet Dog Arrive Safely to Miami Beach in Small Boat
A group of Cuban migrants sailed in a small metal boat and made it safely to Miami Beach Tuesday morning with 12 people on board and a dog.
According to the Miami Herald, the group of 11 men between the ages of 18 and 34, a 16-year-old girl said they were at sea for six days along with a pet dog.
The group of Cuban migrants was taken into U.S. Border Patrol for processing after arriving in Florida. They were all in good health although they were a bit dehydrated and sun burned from sailing in a boat just nine feet long.
"They've been in the water for a few days, but they are in good shape," said Border Patrol Agent Brett Overton. "Now we'll take fingerprints, identify who they are, and we'll put them in the system."
An Instagram user from Delano South Beach posted photos of the migrants and their small boat that was used to come to America.
"They made it! Our VIP's of the day," @cbaraton captioned an Instagram post.
Local station Sky 10 reported to the scene and caught the migrants holding up an American flag while talking to reporters.
One migrant revealed that the boat's engine failed just two days before they reached the shore saying that they risked their lives to find work in the U.S. that they cannot find in Cuba. The group of friends made the boat from steel drums, a tree branch and plastic.
"We saw ourselves practically dead," said Pedro Campos Armas, one of the migrants who tried coming to America 19 times before. "We were praying to all the saints, praying, under terrible weather. But when we opened our eyes, we had faith in God, and when we opened our eyes, we saw the lights of the United States."
The group is expected to stay in South Florida after going through the U.S. Border Patrol processing.
A photo posted by Christophe Baraton (@cbaraton) on Sep 15, 2015 at 9:32am PDT
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