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November 28, 2002 - A 14-year-old Cuban boy, found aboard a disabled boat off the Florida coast, is expected to be reunited with his father in Miami - after testifying against their two accused smugglers, federal officials said.
The teen's dad and four other Cubans won the right to stay in the United States under the government's "wet foot, dry foot" policy when they bolted ashore Monday after the boat was towed into Key West and boarded by the Coast Guard.

But for some reason, the teen remained in the boat's forward hatch, where he had been hiding with others during their storm-tossed journey from Mariel, Cuba.

Under normal conditions, the teen would have been returned to Cuba because he didn't touch U.S. soil. But on orders from the Justice Department, perhaps mindful that it was the third anniversary of Elian Gonzalez's arrival in the United States, he was brought ashore.

"He's been paroled into the U.S. as a material witness in the smuggling investigation and is in INS custody," said Immigration and Naturalization Service spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez in Miami.

The boy and his father will be reunited once the teen testifies, an INS official told the Miami Herald.

The two accused smugglers, one of whom reportedly is the boy's uncle, face a year in jail if convicted, said Justice Department spokeswoman Jackie Becerra. Both are being held in lieu of $60,000 bail.