Cuban Migrants' Status In Limbo After Keys Lighthouse Standoff

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KEY WEST (CBSMiami) – It was a day of drama in Key West as 19 Cuban migrants hung out on the American Shoal Lighthouse about five miles off Sugarloaf Key.

The migrants were in a bit of a standoff with the U.S. Coast guard.

They swam over to the lighthouse and climbed up as the Coast Guard was approaching their home made boat.

Finally, late Friday afternoon, they started climbing down – one after the other, jumping into the Coast Guard boat waiting below.

#BreakingNews All 19 migrants on American Shoal Light come down safely without incident in FL Keys. #USCG #FWC #CBP

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 20, 2016

Now their status is in limbo.

Democracy Movement leader Ramon Saul Sanchez is trying to get answers. He showed up the Coast Guard station in Miami Beach.

"At this point we're trying to enter into a dialogue with the government to see if they will allow these people to remain here," Sanchez said.

The migrants are being held on a Coast Guard cutter at sea as the U.S. government tries to figure out if the lighthouse in U.S. waters is considered "making to shore" in the wet foot, dry foot policy.

...The disposition of the Cuban migrants removed from American Shoal Light Friday will be determined by the standard screening process...

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) May 21, 2016

If they say yes, the migrants will come ashore for processing. If the answer is no, they will be sent back if they do not qualify for asylum.

"The attorneys are already mobilized. We're trying to get relatives, we have some of them present, some kind of recourse in court if we need to an injunction order if we need to or any other method that they chose," Sanchez said.

There was a similar situation 10 years ago when a group of Cuban migrants made it to the Old Seven Mile Bridge just below Marathon.

In that case, they were sent back to Cuba. Officials said making it to the bridge column in the water was not the same as making it to shore.

After they went back to Cuba, a judge ended up reversing that decision.

"The judge considered the Seven Mile Bridge part of the U.S. and in this case we believe that the lighthouse is also part of the U.S.," Sanchez said.