Judge rules Cubans can return

MIAMI, March 1 (UPI) -- A Miami court has ruled 15 Cubans who landed on a U.S. bridge can return to the United States with the help of the U.S. government.

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno said the Cubans "were removed to Cuba illegally" in January, the Miami Herald reported. Moreno ruled the refugees from the communist island landed on U.S. soil when they reached the bridge in the Florida Keys.

Under current U.S. law, Cubans reaching dry land can apply for residency in the United States. Those intercepted at sea are normally returned to Cuba.

However, it remains unclear whether Cuban President Fidel Castro would allow the 15 Cubans to return to the United States.