MIAMI _ A group of 13 Cuban migrants arrived in Big Pine Key at around 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. They were all in good health.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin reported that the group traveled from Cuba on a homemade boat. It was docked at the Big Pine Fishing Lodge when deputies arrived and were turned over to Customs and Border Protection.
The migrants are believed to be the first group to leave since the death of Fidel Castro. Castro died on Nov. 25 at age of 90 after a lingering illness that resulted in his ceding power to his brother Raul Castro in 2006.
On Saturday night, tens of thousands of Cubans turned out for a final farewell to Castro at the Antonio Maceo Plaza on the eve of his internment at Santa Ifigenia Cemetery. He was laid to rest next to the mausoleum of 19th-century Cuban patriot Jose Marti, who fought for Cuban independence from Spain.
