Nation IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : 140 Cubans Flee by Boat; Most Since ’80
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The Coast Guard reported the largest single boatload of Cubans fleeing their island since 1980. The 140 men, women and children made the 90-mile voyage in a rusty fishing boat. The passengers arrived Friday and were taken to a Miami facility that aids refugees. Driven by a deteriorating economy at home, Cubans have been coming to the United States this year at the highest rate since the 1980 Mariel boat lift, when Fidel Castro let thousands of prisoners and others emigrate.
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