RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ U.S. Border Patrol says more than a dozen Cubans made it to Florida in a homemade boat powered by a Russian car engine from the 1950s.
Authorities tell West Palm Beach news station WPTV (http://bit.ly/MtSbsZ ) that 16 men and two women landed on Riviera Beach around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
According to Border Patrol, the homemade boat was 21 feet long and powered by the vintage engine. Officials say the migrants left Cuba on Friday and all were in good health.
Border Patrol officials say the migrants were all taken to a Riviera Beach immigration processing center.
Under the U.S. policy known as “wet-foot, dry-foot,” Cubans who reach U.S. soil are generally allowed to stay.
Cubans stopped at sea are usually sent back to the communist Caribbean island.
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