DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of migrants sailed to and arrived in South Florida.
A makeshift boat that carried Cuban migrants reached the shores of Dania Beach around 7 p.m., Thursday, according to witnesses.
“I got goosebumps. You don’t see this everyday,” said Maria Arroyo. “I keep seeing them just coming by the horizon. Next thing you know, it was like six of them just made it into town.”
Arroyo was with her family and said she’s never seen anything like this before.
“People brought them water, we brought them water, some chips,” she said.
Dozens of people gathered around the exhausted travelers, congratulating them on making it to South Florida after the dangerous journey.
“Thank God they made it,” said Arroyo.
After a few minutes, Arroyo said police started to show up on the beach.
“Next thing you know, you hear the cops. Sirens all over,” said Arroyo.
She told 7News that’s when the six men took off.
“They disappeared. They disappeared with the crowd,” she said.
U.S. Border Patrol confirmed that they were notified of a suspected maritime smuggling event and said agents are conducting a search. Arroyo, and many others, hope the men are OK.
“A lot of us come, you know, from different countries that you try to make it here, and it’s very hard to even get your situations together, so it’s probably going to be hard for them, but they’re probably in a better country, at the end of the day,” said Arroyo.
As of now, none of the men are in custody yet. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol are still investigating.
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