MIAMI, United States. — The United States Border Patrol (USBP, for its acronym in English) detained 16 Cuban rafters who disembarked this morning in an area of Key West.
Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar reported in Twitter that the Cubans arrived in US territory aboard an artisanal vessel and that, after being taken into the custody of the authorities, they received rigorous medical care.
“16 Cuban immigrants were taken into US Border Patrol custody this morning after making landfall near Key West in a rustic boat. Emergency Medical Services are on scene evaluating people,” the post said.
This Tuesday agents of the United States Border Patrol (USBP) intercepted other seven migrants from the Island who landed on Cayo Boca Grande, an uninhabited island west of Key West.
As has been happening in recent months, the rafters (five men and two women) landed on Cayo Boca Grande in a homemade boat.
Although more than 3,000 Cuban migrants have managed to reach US territory since October 2021, most have been returned to the island.
The US authorities have warned on several occasions about the dangers involved in the sea crossing through the Straits of Florida. They have also warned that stepping on US soil is not a guarantee that the migrants will be able to stay.
At the beginning of June, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) confirmed the death of at least 39 people who have tried to reach the United States by sea in “unsafe, overloaded and precarious” vessels.
The Coast Guard itself indicates that since October 1, 2021 — the beginning of the fiscal year in the US — only the crews of that agency have intercepted more than 3,400 Cuban immigrants.
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