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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Border Patrol agents took eight Cubans into custody Sunday after they were found on the beach, officials said.
Witnesses saw the seven men and one woman on the beach Sunday morning and called the Hollywood Police Department, which then contacted Border Patrol officers, Border Patrol spokesman Keith Roberts said.
Border Patrol officers recovered a 19-foot fishing boat, and they believe the migrants may have been smuggled to shore, although authorities were still investigating, Roberts said. Border Patrol officers were interviewing witnesses to determine exactly what happened, Roberts said.
The migrants were being held for questioning in Pembroke Pines, officials said.
Under U.S. policy, Cuban migrants who reach U.S. soil are generally allowed to stay, but those intercepted at sea are usually returned. After being here a year, Cubans can apply for permanent residency.