Cruise ship rescues 7 Cuban migrants

 

A cruise ship made a daring rescue as it returned to South Florida.

On Friday afternoon, Royal Caribbean cruise ship Oasis of the Seas was on its way back to Port Everglades when passengers on board spotted seven Cuban refugees floating in a small blue raft. "We were on the way back from Mexico, and we saw a raft with six males and one female," said passenger Barbie Cabrera.

Passengers snapped pictures and captured video of the group of migrants as the cruise ship came to their aid. One passenger, Monica Abreu, said, "They announced on speaker, 'There are some refugees, and we're about to pick them up.'"

"They had power to their little raft," said Mike Hope, another cruise ship passenger. "They were able to move with the raft, and they actually came to the ship."

The ship's captain turned around the massive vessel to rescue the rafters, who raised their hands in victory before they boarded the ship. Cabrera said, "It was really interesting. It was a cool experience, especially being a Cuban American, to see that firsthand and see actually what the people of Cuba are going through. It's still heartbreaking to see what people are willing to do for freedom."

"I can tell you, I have never been more proud to be an American," said passenger Gonzalo Garcia.

Once on board, Royal Caribbean gave the seven migrants food, clothes and medical treatment, and notified the U.S. Coast Guard. Royal Caribbean released the following statement: "As is our standard procedure, the U.S. Coast Guard was notified and responded to the ship. The seven Cubans disembarked Oasis of the Seas onto a Coast Guard vessel."

The Coast Guard met up with the cruise ship near Key West and the Cuban migrants were transferred into the custody of the Coast Guard.

The U.S. government will likely apply the Wet Foot Dry Foot policy to the seven migrants, but their fate is unclear.

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate.