5 Cuban Migrants Reach Land In Florida Keys

POSTED: 5:47 a.m. EDT June 30, 2003
KEY LARGO, Fla. -- Five Cuban migrants on a homemade craft made it to land in the Florida Keys and were taken into custody by the U.S. Borden Patrol.

The men used oars and a hand-sewn sail to guide a 12-foot boat into shallow water Sunday evening near the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo. Once there, they abandoned the craft and scattered into the mangroves.

Border Patrol agents picked up the men around 7 p.m. They appeared to be in good health, agent Joe Castillo said.

Castillo said it was too soon to know whether the migrants were smuggled, but he said that didn't appear to be the case.

"It looks to me like a homemade venture," Castillo said.

Under federal government policy, Cubans who make it to land can usually stay in the United States after spending a few days in custody being interviewed and processed. Those caught at sea are usually returned to the communist island.

At the old submarine base in Key West you could see all sorts of flotsam that people came across on. I talking everything from sewn together life preservers to inner tubes to fucking logs!

This is something that has pissed me off since the first day I arrived in South Florida:
Why the fuck are the Cuban tire-floaters called migrants?  What they are is illegal-fucking-aliens, I don't give a shit what retarded-ass policy lets them stay here.

Now the Haitian community is all wound up and wanting this policy extended to them too.  Thank God that none of the Haitians that have come over have managed to make anything of themselves enough to have any clout over this.

On a side note I found out a business aquaintance was in the cuban navy.  I asked him if it was an armada of lawn chairs tied to inner-tubes.

I don't know why we don't just take over that POS island. We're halfway there already, it would be a weekend bivy for our military. They could pay for the whole op by selling off all those antique cars they drive over there and give the locals some new Geo Metro's to boot. Hell, we could probably just fly in a few drops of surplus rifles, about 300,000 M14's should do the trick, some specops guys to lead the assault and most of the people would kick Fidel's ass. We already buy part of our OJ from them, spruce up their economy a bit and allow the people to stay & return to their cultural home. I've got nothing against the Cuban people, most are hard working nice folks just trying to get ahead. I just can't understand why we allow that commie to be our neighbor.

Ever hear of the Bay of Pigs?

Yepper, a CIA operation. 'Nuff said...

Ah, yes. The Bay of Pigs!

The incident where Cubans seeking freedom tried to overthrow the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, but were abandoned and left high and dry by a bunch of "Americans" who have spent every moment since demanding that Cubans seeking freedom try to overthrow the dictatorship of Fidel Castro.

Thanks a heap, guys!



Newsflash for you, my misguided Anglo friend, they're MIGRANTS because they are fleeing a communist dictatorship, and because OUR LAWS says they are. Don't like it? Tell your congresscritter to change the law. You live in Broward, so finding people who hate us (mostly Conservative) Cubans should be easy.

Also, I find it interesting that you bitch about the poor souls who throw themselves across 90 miles of shark-infested water in nothing more protective than an inner tube, but remain silent on the scumbag who drives them to such desperation.

CS223: I agree with you wholeheartedly. We should call for military exercises in the area and "accidentally" land on the wrong beach. We'll be in Havana sipping Mai-Tai's and smoking cigars before anyone else realizes enough to give a shit....

Read my sigline.  I don't give a shit.  Don't like your situation? Change it.  I don't give a shit about shark infested waters, I don't give a shit about people driving 60 year old cars, I don't give a shit about "the best" cigars, I just plain don't give a shit.  And before you think that this is racially or country-specific, I don't give a shit about the plight of any of the "oppressed" peoples of the world.  I don't give a shit about the Haitians, the Iraqis; you name a country where people are oppressed (other than this one) and I just plain [b]DON'T GIVE A SHIT[/b].

Now, we can argue whether that makes me a heartless bastard or not, but your reference to me as an "anglo" leads me to believe that you think my opinion is based solely on race, or on the fact that they're Cubans; it's not.  If I remember correctly your father was actually a Spaniard, which would make him, and you, just as anglo (possibly more so) than me.  Read above.  I'm against the Cubans getting preferential treatment over other tire-floaters, but I am NOT for giving them all the same status that Cubans now have, I'm for taking that elevated and preferential status AWAY from the Cubans.

Again, before you start thinking that I hate Cubans, I don't.  It's a much broader picture, I hate everyone equally.

In fact, I generally find Cubans to be some of the most productive of the IMmigrants to this country, whether of the hispanics or IMmigrants as a whole.  The only problem I have is when ANYONE comes to this country and refuses to learn the language, and then acts like I'M an idiot because I dare to live in South Florida and not speak Spanish.

Here we go again. You don't like my views so you call me a racist.  This has nothing to do with race.
First of all, hispanic, latino, spanish, whatever, is not a race, you can call them an ethnic group or something else, but it's not a race.  I work with a black Cuban girl, so which is she? black or Cuban?
Second of all, as I said in my last posting, the Cubans that I encounter in my professional life are some of the hardest working and most successfule people I meet.

So I see your "fuck you" and raise you a "fuck off".

Well, that's clear...



My grandparents. At least three of them. Being from Spain hardly makes someone an Anglo. In the eyes of too many, we'd still be spics.



Why shouldn't they have it? They are the only ones in the entire hemisphere trying to escape a communist regime that THIS COUNTRY allowed to come to AND STAY in power. Everyone else is coming over for the free goodies the Left loves to dole out.



How very mature of you. And then guys like you wonder why everyone thinks whites are racist. [rolleyes]



Oh, swell, but you're willing to throw them back at Castro. I never thought you would agree with Bill Klinton on anything. Thanks, anyway, for the compliment. We Cubans try not to behave like the stereotypical minority. It makes us be hated by Anglos for being spics and by other minorities for being "lapdogs" of The Man.



Well, if you live in South Florida and don't speak Spanish it's probably because you're just as hard-headed and ignorant as they are. I don't like having for-ever specialized help provided to immigrants who simply don't want to learn the language, but when there are that many of them in one place, and the overwhelming majority are either immigrants or children of immigrants, do you expect them to simply drop their culture en masse? Integrating into America doesn't mean leaving your heritage behind; it means adopting the best of America and offering America the best of yours.

Also, you live in Broward, where one can live without Spanish quite well.

Norman, go back and read your posts, and try to tell me how someone ISN'T supposed to read you as a racist? I've met you, and you didn't strike me as the type, but to someone reading cold words on a screen, what do you expect, especially from those among us who either knew or are related to people who died or were wounded either in defense of this country or in a betrayed attempt to liberate theirs?



Yes.



Then why not give them the opportunity to come hear and make this country stronger for it?



Alright, folks. Let's at least try to keep it civil, here.

If you knew me, or half of what I've done or what I've seen your worthless opinion of whether I'm spoiled or a bitch might matter.

Look, you're taking this personally and I wouldn't expect you to take it any other way.  You have a perceived connection to Cuba because your ancestors stopped there for awhile.  That's no different than my perceived connection to Pennsylvania because MY ancestors stopped there for awhile.  But at the end of the day that's it; a perceived connection.  Hell I'd understand you getting offended if at least your father was one of the tire-floaters, but if I remember your story correctly he came through Mexico, right?  And I don't believe he did so illegally, but I could be wrong, if so I applogize, for being wrong anyway, nothing else.

The fact remains that it's not just about Cuba.  The bigger picture is ALL of the illegals that come into this country every year.  I acknoledge that we need them.  If we didn't have them I would lose half the manual labor types on my jobsite.  My superintendent has worked jobs where immigration would show up every day and shut the job down when everyone hauled ass.  I acknowledge that we need them so that grapes don't have to cost $200/lb.  But I don't have to like it.  Again, this is about ALL illegal immigrants.  You choose to focus on the Cubans because of your perceived connection to them, and I really don't know what to say to that.  If you can't see the bigger picture then I guess it's a moot point.
The one problem I do have that is Cuba-specific is the preferential treatment that they receive in the eyes of our govt.  I don't think any illegals should be treated differently than any others.  In this case, I CAN see why your perceived connection would cause you to be insulted, but oh well.  You can rationalize it all you want by saying they're more productive than other people (which they might be), or that they're fleeing a monster (which again, I don't care), but at the end of the day in my eyes you're just rationalizing a bullshit policy because it happens to benefit people that you have a perceived connection with.  On this we will simply have to agree to disagree and move on.  For right now at least you can have the satisfattion of knowing that your point of view is the one that is currently legally right.  But wait and see.  As the hispanic poplulation moves further into this state and this country you will start to enounter people who ARE anti-latino, and who will call you spic, and that policy may just change.  Personally I think Castro will be dead by then, and all those people that put those little Cuban flags on their cars can go right back there and make the country great again.  That's what so many of them say right? I will believe it when I see it.

One other thing, I don't expect people to NOT speak Spanish.  At home, to each other, in church, whatever.  But I do expect them to be able to communicate in English.  On this I thin we agree, but again I could be wrong.  My best friend is Puerto Rican and even he will yell at people that don't speak English.  Keep in mind also that when you choose to speak Spanish in front of people that don't understand it, especially in a business setting and when you're both perfectly capable of speaking English, you encourage the kind of racism you are accusing me of.

BTW, when are you coming to IDPA?  Am I going to have to come to your house and kidnap you next month?  It's July the 12th at Trailglades.  Mark it on your calendar.  I know you haven't been shooting in awhile so you gotta go.  If I can loan you anything, gun, mags, pouches, gear, holster, ammo, let me know.

That's as bad as the "racist" and "spoiled bitch" arguments.  When you've got a leg to stand on, or points to make, come back and post a bit.  Until then all you're posting is cliche bullshit you read somewhere.  Oh, that and insults.

[/quote]Well, if you live in South Florida and don't speak Spanish it's probably because you're just as hard-headed and ignorant as they are.[/quote]

I don't buy that. This is our house, Right Norman? It's not that I can't learn Spanish, I just have better things to do. Next thing you know I would have to learn Chinese, Japanese, Portugese, German and it just goes on forever. It's not ignorance though.

[/quote]I don't like having for-ever specialized help provided to immigrants who simply don't want to learn the language, but when there are that many of them in one place, and the overwhelming majority are either immigrants or children of immigrants, do you expect them to simply drop their culture en masse? Integrating into America doesn't mean leaving your heritage behind; it means adopting the best of America and offering America the best of yours.[/quote]

Quite honestly sir I haven't found anything about Cuban culture that I can use. I tryed the food, it's terrible. I don't smoke cigars. I like Desi Arnez!

[/quote]Also, you live in Broward, where one can live without Spanish quite well.[/quote]

Not for long. I live in Volusia, I barely get by and it's not getting any better. Give it another few years and Florida will be another California..and we all know what fucked up state California is.