Cuban Migrants Land on South Beach to Cheers: "You Guys Made It, Bro!"

In Texas they want to build a border wall to keep people out. In Miami you can float right up to stretch of South Beach directly infront of the Ritz-Carlton in your makeshift sail boat and be greeted with cheers from locals. That was the scene earlier this morning when...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

September 15, 2015

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Texas wants to build a border wall to keep people out. However, in Miami, you can float right up to a stretch of South Beach directly in front of the Ritz-Carlton in your makeshift sailboat and be greeted with cheers from locals.

That was the scene earlier this morning when 12 Cuban migrants and a dog touched their feet on American shores for the first time.

The group included 11 men between the ages of 20 and 33, a 16-year-old girl, and a dog. They said they began their journey on a nine-foot boat from the central Cuban town of Villa Clara and spent six days at sea, two of them during which they were lost. By the time the group came ashore, they had run out of food, but they all appeared to be in good health.

The moment they arrived was caught on video, with people cheering them on and the cameraman shouting, "You guys made it, bro!"

@VivianGonzalez7 12 #Cuban immigrants and one dog landed in #SouthBeach around 18th St. pic.twitter.com/rXGXaqvabm
— Xam I Am (@tobiasmax3000) September 15, 2015

@VivianGonzalez7 Video of the Cuban immigrants and the boat on the shore. pic.twitter.com/0hwRrf1xHi
— Xam I Am (@tobiasmax3000) September 15, 2015

According to WSVN, beachgoers gave the newly arrived immigrants cash and clothes off their backs. Meanwhile, staff members from nearby hotels provided them with food and water.

Officials are still trying to confirm that the group is actually from Cuba, and if they are, they'll likely be allowed to stay under America's "wet foot, dry foot" immigration policy that allows Cubans who reach American soil to legally remain in the country.

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