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All I remember is that there is some information given to the male-protagonist that if immigrants were to make it onto dry land from the ocean, or at least a certain part of their leg/feet be above water, they would be able to seek asylum, but if they were caught out on sea, they were sent back home, I'm guessing Cuba, since my googling only gave me Cuban-themed films/shows. At one particular scene, not sure if the end, the protagonist is held back by armed officers and has to watch as various immigrants try to make it to shore but are arrested with their legs still in the water, not on land, indicating that they would be deported back home.