CUBAN EXODUS . . . FLORIDA'S CRY FOR HELP

The rising tide of Cuban refugees has prompted Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles to declare an "immigration state of emergency," mobilizing the National Guard and state agencies. But Chiles' subsequent plea for federal action and financial assistance got a cool reception in Washington, where Attorney General Janet Reno -- a Floridian herself -- said the Administration was managing the problem "in an orderly way and without disruption." But the federal government may be poised to reverse its 30-year-old Cuban policy: instead of allowing immigrants to stay in the U.S., they may be intercepted or turned back. Short of that, sources tell TIME, Operation Distant Shore would have Cuban refugees deposited at a Florida Air Force base, then flown to one of 10 Defense Department sites around the country.