MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – U.S. Border Patrol agents and Miami Beach police officers responded to a migrant landing on Miami Beach Thursday night.
The 12 men said they were at sea for five days from the town of Camalote, Cuba, dealing with large waves and pangs of hunger.
“Grandes olas, frio, hombre (Big waves, cold, man),” one man said.
The rustic boat was still on the beach near 67th Street, taking on water and bobbing in the waves late Thursday night. The men said they used a Kubota welding machine motor to power the vessel.
They said they made the escape because of deteriorating conditions in Cuba, and have family in South Florida.
Eventually, they were searched and taken into a van by U.S. Border Patrol agents, who transported them to a local facility for processing.
This comes as the number of migrants trying to come to South Florida by sea continues to skyrocket. Since the beginning of October, U.S. Border Patrol has reported more than 50 migrant landings in South Florida.