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19 Cuban Migrants Found In Navy Officer's Backyard

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Jan 25, 2007 5:45 am US/Pacific

19 Cuban Migrants Found In Navy Officer's Backyard

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) ― Nineteen Cubans came ashore on the Naval Air Station Key West commander's backyard, officials said.

The 12 men, five women and two children were discovered Wednesday morning by an off-duty Defense Department officer jogging on military property, Key West police said. The officer knocked on Capt. J.R. Brown's front door, alerting him to the group and asking to use his phone to call authorities.

Brown asked a Spanish-speaking neighbor to meet with the Cubans, who "appeared to be in very good condition," he said.

The captain said he knew the arrival of Cuban immigrants near his backyard in Key West, 90 miles from Cuba, was a possibility when he took the post within the past year.

Under U.S. policy, Cubans found on shore are generally allowed to stay, while those found at sea are usually returned to Cuba.

(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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