Talk:Refugee market
Sometimes in the near future, inside Cuba near the northern coast: a rogue radio broadcast reaches the clandestine receivers of some of the starving serfs of the castrist regime. The message lists job openings, it says that if you and your relatives can make the first 10-20 miles through the sea following a 030 heading from a specific cuban coastal landmark, "they" will be able to pick you up. "They" are the inhabitants of the floating islands, deriving just north from there aboard strange concrete towers and domes, intermingled with bridges and antennas, looming over the waves. They say they will welcome cooks, farmers, masons, doctors, teachers, and even prostitutes because they, contrary to the communists, do not have a problem with that occupation. And if you have family waiting for you in Miami, they can arrange things so you may stay aboard for a reasonable fee while your visa is examined by the US - even if it is not granted, you're not getting sent back to your familiar hellhole but to friendlier lands like Costa Rica or Honduras. The message is repeated, in between testimonies of those who reached through during the previous day: they want to let those who stayed back know that everything they say is true, that there is a way out and that they will see you there if you decide to give it a try soon.
The regime knows about the rogue radio, and the conglomerate of floating sea forts slowly sailing under a convenience flag by their coasts under the watchful eye of the US coast guard and whatever remains of the cuban navy, pretending to be on a very slow leisure cruise across the West Indies and full of wealthy and not-so-wealthy citizens of innumerable countries. But the most they can do is to pretend it's not there, because the directions in the radio message change every hour, and any determined cuban can adapt almost anything into a floating contraption suitable for a 10 miles swim discreetly. They can't stop the seasteaders from picking up the exilees, because they can't tell which of the many tourist-laden yacht or sailship is on a mission and not just touring.
