Fifteen Cubans who arrived in a boat to an uninhabited islet near Key West, in the United States, were left this Saturday in the custody of the US authorities, who a few hours before had taken charge of another twelve rafters sighted by a cruise ship in the Strait of Florida.
Border patrol officer Walter N. Slosar reported on Twitter the rescue of the 15 Cubans stranded in Cayo Marquesas, west of Key West, who have been in the custody of border authorities since the early hours of this Saturday.
Slosar did not give more details or say how long the migrants had been on the islet, who will be repatriated like the vast majority of those who are discovered on rafts or already on US soil without documents.
15 Cuban migrants were taken into #BorderPatrol custody this morning after making landfall on a rustic vessel in the Marquesas Keys, an uninhabited island west of Key West. The group was stranded on an island & rescued by @CBPAMORegDirSE partners.#Cuba #Saturday #Florida pic.twitter.com/gnOu8zosTg
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) July 30, 2022
Hours earlier, in the same area, a Coast Guard patrol boat took charge of 12 migrants who were in a rowboat and were helped by the crew of the Sunrise cruise ship of the Carnival company.
Some television channels in Miami, Florida, published this Saturday videos of the encounter of the rafters with the Carnival Sunrise taken by passengers with their phones.
The images captured from the deck show a small boat with four oars located near the transept. Its occupants greet the passengers with their hands and they respond with shouts and greetings.
A spokesman for Carnival told Miami’s Local 10 television channel that they notified the Coast Guard to pick them up.
CRUISE SHIP RESCUES MIGRANTS – The crew of the Carnival Sunrise came to the aid of 12 men, believed to be Cuban migrants, stranded in the Straits of Florida last night. A Local 10 News viewer sent us video of the moments leading up to the rescue: https://t.co/uZnuQcaVbr
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPGLLocal10) July 30, 2022
The attempts of Cuban citizens to reach the US both by land and by sea have increased significantly in recent months.
Since October 1, 2021, when the current fiscal year began, more than 3,400 migrants from the Island who traveled by sea have been detained by US authorities.
By land, the number is much higher: more than 140,000 from October to April, according to official data.
