A federal judge in Miami has ruled the US should not have deported 15 Cuban migrants who in January reached a disused bridge in the Florida Keys.
But Judge Federico Moreno said his ruling would not affect the "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy under which Cubans stopped at sea are usually sent back.
The group was deported because the bridge no longer connected to land.
They now hope to leave Cuba legally but it is unclear whether the communist government will allow them to go.
"I am so happy, I haven't eaten or slept since yesterday," one of them, Ernesto Hernandez, told The Associated Press. "It's a big surprise."
He and 14 other men, women and children are completing applications for Cuban passports and have scheduled a meeting for Monday at the US Interests Section in Havana.
No comment was immediately available from the Cuban authorities which have criticised the "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy in the past.
'Failure'
The US Coast Guard had argued that the broken bridge did not count as US soil and therefore the Cubans could not seek residency.
The deportation in January infuriated the politically influential Cuban-American community in Florida.
They wanted the court to define US soil as anywhere within US territorial waters.
Exile groups believe Cubans trying to reach the US should be allowed to stay because, they say, they are fleeing an oppressive government.
Last month, Florida Senator Mel Martinez, a Republican, called for an overhaul of the "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, which he described as "a complete and utter failure".
Correspondents say the policy has become more stringent in recent years. The number of Cuban boat-people has been rising recently, with nearly 3,000 intercepted in the last fiscal year.
Some community leaders have warned that the latest deportations could affect backing for the Republican Party among Cuban-Americans, traditionally staunch supporters.
(BBC)
<< Back