Cuban Migrants Reach Miami (CORRECTION)

The Miami Herald reports on the Miami arrival of a group of 28 Cubans who were intercepted at sea after the US Coast Guard shot at the boat which was carrying them. One person, a pregnant woman died as a result of blunt trauma after apparently hitting her head on the boat (thanks Rick for the correction).

Good news, but with mixed feelings. Good because the freedom-seekers have attained their goal of reaching the U.S. Good because the smugglers who transported the individuals will be prosecuted (that's how the 28 were able to come, a deal was worked out in which they would testify against the smugglers).

Unfortunately, someone had to die in the process. There's never any purely good news associated with Cuba, it seems. There's always some type of bad mixed in. That's life, I guess. There's no doubt that smuggling has to be strongly discouraged, otherwise we'll continue to see events like this one happen again and again.

And of course, the catalyst behind all this is the misguided wet-foot/dry-foot policy. Revoking it would help to end hostile high-speed confrontations between Coast Guard and refugee vessels, and give fleeing Cubans captured at sea a chance to plead their case to come to the United States.

President Bush, are you listening?